Apple Watch Series X won't work with old bands, claims leaker

It has been great to be able to move my stainless steel Milanese Loop watch band onto the successive generations since S3 days including my Ultra and now Ultra 2. That might be the last time to be able reuse my stainless steel band on a new iWatch starting in 2024.

The issue is that the Apple Watch series are really a fad or fashion statement with no long term life. That is the nature of electronics that all eventually quit and are definitely not user serviceable. The fix for a recently deceased iWatch is a complete replacement. The next year's model supposedly obsoletes last year's model because of some new electronic gimmickry. 

Now the conversation is that the next models will use a completely new band attachment technique obsoleting a fortune in Apple compatible bands. For a change, many might flip off Apple and continue with this years model until it quits. Apple has to support all the current iWatch models for quite a few years.

Meanwhile, the Rolex I purchased in 1966 still does its job of showing time in two different time zones and the date. It is self winding and needs no batteries. The stainless steel band can be replaced as needed from an immense selection of compatible bands that will work with most non-electronic watches with proprietary designs. It has beed serviced a few times in the 57 years I have owned it. I can pass it on to one of my kids.

The iWatch has almost forgotten  it was initially a time piece.

ApplePoor said:

It has been great to be able to move my stainless steel Milanese Loop watch band onto the successive generations since S3 days including my Ultra and now Ultra 2. That might be the last time to be able reuse my stainless steel band on a new iWatch starting in 2024.

The issue is that the Apple Watch series are really a fad or fashion statement with no long term life. That is the nature of electronics that all eventually quit and are definitely not user serviceable. The fix for a recently deceased iWatch is a complete replacement. The next year's model supposedly obsoletes last year's model because of some new electronic gimmickry. 

Now the conversation is that the next models will use a completely new band attachment technique obsoleting a fortune in Apple compatible bands. For a change, many might flip off Apple and continue with this years model until it quits. Apple has to support all the current iWatch models for quite a few years.

Meanwhile, the Rolex I purchased in 1966 still does its job of showing time in two different time zones and the date. It is self winding and needs no batteries. The stainless steel band can be replaced as needed from an immense selection of compatible bands that will work with most non-electronic watches with proprietary designs. It has beed serviced a few times in the 57 years I have owned it. I can pass it on to one of my kids.

The iWatch has almost forgotten  it was initially a time piece.

The popularity of the iPhone and Apple Watch is because they do more than just make phone calls and tell time. 

Unless the form factor is changing it would be wrong to do such a radical change, as it will be seen as gouging from customers by forcing them to buy new watch bands if they upgrade. This can only be because of a form factor change that means other watch bands cannot fit. Maybe we will see our first round watch face?

laytech said:

Unless the form factor is changing it would be wrong to do such a radical change, as it will be seen as gouging from customers by forcing them to buy new watch bands if they upgrade. This can only be because of a form factor change that means other watch bands cannot fit. Maybe we will see our first round watch face?

IF

the change to magnetic bands actually happens, the stated reason for the change makes a lot of sense: those empty slots for current bands occupy precious space that could be used for the more advanced health sensors that Apple is working on without further increasing the size of the watch body. It's also not hard to imagine that IF that change happens, Apple or third parties could easily make adapters for existing bands to work. It is actually in Apple's interest for that to happen since many people have a considerable investment in watch bands and if they were not made compatible with an adapter, that would be a strong reason to keep your current watch and not upgrade. It's also important to note that this leaker could be right in what he's saying--that Watch X won't work with existing bands--but that still leaves open attachment via an adapter. 

As for a round watch face: round made sense for a watch when all it was used for was to tell time. But as a device for messaging, email and viewing other forms of data... well, let's just say there's a very good reason that no one has ever made a round monitor. 

termsofuse said:

ApplePoor said:

It has been great to be able to move my stainless steel Milanese Loop watch band onto the successive generations since S3 days including my Ultra and now Ultra 2. That might be the last time to be able reuse my stainless steel band on a new iWatch starting in 2024.

The issue is that the Apple Watch series are really a fad or fashion statement with no long term life. That is the nature of electronics that all eventually quit and are definitely not user serviceable. The fix for a recently deceased iWatch is a complete replacement. The next year's model supposedly obsoletes last year's model because of some new electronic gimmickry. 

Now the conversation is that the next models will use a completely new band attachment technique obsoleting a fortune in Apple compatible bands. For a change, many might flip off Apple and continue with this years model until it quits. Apple has to support all the current iWatch models for quite a few years.

Meanwhile, the Rolex I purchased in 1966 still does its job of showing time in two different time zones and the date. It is self winding and needs no batteries. The stainless steel band can be replaced as needed from an immense selection of compatible bands that will work with most non-electronic watches with proprietary designs. It has beed serviced a few times in the 57 years I have owned it. I can pass it on to one of my kids.

The iWatch has almost forgotten  it was initially a time piece.

The popularity of the iPhone and Apple Watch is because they do more than just make phone calls and tell time. 

I would have never bought an "iWatch" (sic) if all it did was show the time in two zones and the date. It was not "initially a time piece"; it was an iPhone accessory for your wrist. Still is.