Apple Watch 2: News, rumours, specs, release date and price

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH 2

The Apple Watch 2 is on its way, apparently. Here’s what we know – and suspect – so far about the Apple Watch 2 release date, new features, and specs.

Update (8 August 2016): A respected industry analyst has claimed that Apple is working on two new Apple Watch versions, set to be revealed in September this year.

You’d be forgiven for looking back at the first-generation Apple Watch as a bit of a disappointment. But Apple still managed to ship 11.6 million units in less than a year, so it wasn’t a complete catastrophe. In fact, it’s one of the few unqualified successes in a smartwatch market that’s still waiting to truly catch fire.

But the Apple Watch has been out for a year now, and we’re all looking to the Apple Watch 2 to rectify some of the biggest problems with Apple’s first try. Unfortunately (and despite the rumours), Apple didn’t talk about the Apple Watch 2 at its March 21 event, or even WWDC 2016. So we’re still mostly in the dark. Maybe September will bear more fruit?

For more news on this and other matters relating to Apple’s second wearable, read on.

APPLE WATCH 2 RELEASE DATE UK & US – WHEN DOES THE APPLE WATCH 2 COME OUT?

We’re still largely in the dark when it comes to a launch window for the Apple Watch 2, but there have been a few clues. Back in 2015, it was thought that the Apple Watch 2 release date would fall in April, following a special event launch event in March where Apple was also rumoured to be debuting the iPhone 6C. That timing coincided with an actual Apple launch event, which took place on March 21 2016. However, there was no Apple Watch 2; just the 4-inch iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and new Apple Watch bands.

That means that there’s a good chance the Apple Watch 2 launch might coincide with Apple’s annual iPhone event in September, as the two devices are built to work together. However, Apple announcing the Watch 2 and actually launching it are two different things. Let’s not forget that the first-generation Apple Watch was announced in September 2014, but only became available for pre-order on 10 April 2015 and wasn’t released until 24 April 2015.

On 13 November 2015, a report by China’s United Daily News shed light on a possible Apple Watch 2 release date. According to the report, which cites Apple supplier Quanta’s chairman Barry Lam as the source, the Apple Watch 2 release date could be as soon as June, with a preliminary unveiling taking place at WWDC (which turned out to be wrong). The report reads:

“Quanta and Apple are currently developing the second-generation of the Apple Watch, expected late next year in the second quarter.”

The report also noted that the Apple Watch would begin shipping in a “small volume” in Q3 2016, but that overall shipments would “grow considerably next year”.

More recently, analyst Brian White – of Drexel Hamilton – was quoted by MacRumors as saying:

“Finally, we walked away with the sense that the Apple Watch refresh will not occur in September with the iPhone 7, but is more likely to occur within the next 2-3 months, and thus we believe an unveiling at WWDC in June makes sense.”

However, as we now know, the Apple Watch 2 was not announced at WWDC 2016. We did get a good look at watchOS 3 however, but there was no mention of an upcoming hardware upgrade.

On June 15, a Digitimes report said that Apple stepped up procurement of components for the Apple Watch 2, and is planning to ship chips in the third quarter – that could be as soon as July. The publication’s sources estimated that “about two million units of the new Apple Watch could be shipped monthly”. Of course, Digitimes has a less than stellar track record for Apple-related predictions, so take this with due caution.

Perhaps one of the best rumours to date comes courtesy of well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who seemingly confirmed long-rumoured plans to launch the Apple Watch 2 at Apple’s annual September event.

According to a leaked investor note from Kuo, there will two new versions of the watch. The first will be a iterative upgrade with improved internals like a 16nm TSMC processor, plus improved waterproofing. The second version will include new features like a GPS radio and barometer, as well as a higher-capacity battery.

APPLE WATCH 2 FEATURES – WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH 2?

The Apple Watch 2 will hopefully bring a hearty roster of upgrades. There hasn’t been much in the way of rumours thus far, but we’d like to see better performance, improved battery life, and almost certainly the appearance of watchOS 3.

We’d also expect to see a new version of the Apple S1 chip, which will probably be called the Apple S2 chip, and will likely offer some performance improvements. There’s also a chance we might see 3D Touch replacing Force Touch on Apple’s next-generation wearable. Perhaps the only solid rumour we’ve seen so more is a recent Wall Street Journal report that suggested Apple would add cellular connectivity to the watch, eliminating the need for a paired iPhone.

Other than that, Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recent comments are worth mentioning – even if they’re a little vague, and somewhat defensive. Cook told CNBC:

“In a few years, we will look back and people will say, ‘How could I have ever thought about not wearing this watch? Because it’s doing so much for you. And then it will all of a sudden be an overnight success. We are going to give you things that you can’t live without. That you just don’t know you need today.”

What those unexpected things are, and how many of them will make their way into the Apple Watch 2, remains to be seen.

IN-DEPTH – APPLE WATCH 2 SPECS & FEATURES EXPLAINED

The Apple Watch 2 is still largely a mystery to us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some educated guesses about what looks likely to appear. Here’s what we think the Apple Watch 2 will look like:

APPLE WATCH 2 DESIGN

Apple has always focused greatly on design, and that virtue is handy when trying to peddle a wristwatch. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch received quite a mixed response with regard to aesthetics. Some praised the sleek, classically Apple design, while others scorned the device because it didn’t look enough like a watch.

We’re still not sure how Apple plans to change the physical look of the Apple Watch 2, although we’d say it’s unlikely that Apple will adopt a Withings-style approach of typical Swiss watch design. In terms of hardware, the Apple Watch shipped in two key variants – 38mm and 42mm. This size split appears to have worked in Apple’s favour, and we’d expect to see the same two offerings with the Apple Watch 2. The original Apple Watch also used two differing display resolutions – 272 x 340 pixels (326dpi) and 312 x 390 pixels (326dpi). A possible Apple Watch 2 upgrade could see the resolution increased, although in our opinion it’s unlikely.

While it seems probable that Apple will eventually launch an Apple Watch with Retina display, a higher-resolution panel would be too much of a drain on battery life right now. The Apple Watch 2 has been tipped for a P-OLED display however, which could bring power efficiency improvements.

We also expect Apple to continue its trend of using sapphire glass on the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition, and strengthened Ion-X glass on the Apple Watch Sport.

One noteworthy comment on the Apple Watch 2’s design comes from the aforementioned analyst Brian White of Drexel Hamilton. Following a meeting with a Chinese tech supply chain company, he said this: “We believe Apple Watch 2 could be 20-40 percent thinner than the current Apple Watch.” However, another noted Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, believes that the Apple Watch 2 design will be relatively unchanged from the original. Think of it more as an Apple Watch 1S.

That would presumably mean that we won’t be getting a genuine next-generation Apple Watch until 2017. Sigh.

APPLE WATCH 2 SPECS

The Apple Watch 2 will likely feature a number of hardware improvements too.

It’s generally expected that the Apple Watch 2 will feature an upgraded version of the Apple S1 system-in-package that powered the original Apple Watch. Those comments on the Apple Watch 2’s conservative design from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest that all of the key improvements will be internal, although he didn’t offer any specifics. We can speculate, though.

The Apple S1 had a 520MHz clock rate, was built using a 28nm manufacturing process, and featured just one core. If there is an Apple Watch 2, we’d guess it would use an Apple S2 chip. Maybe we’ll see a higher clock rate, a more efficient manufacturing process, and possibly a dual-core configuration. Apple could also spring for a GPU that’s more powerful than the current PowerVR SGX543.

The first-generation Apple Watch also featured 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage and a speaker. However, it doesn’t seem likely that Apple will upgrade any of these components, since form factor could become an issue.

APPLE WATCH 2 SCREEN

On June 24, industry news site DigiTimes reported that Apple is plotting a shift from OLED to Micro LED technology for the Apple Watch 2.

Such a move would allow Apple to boost the Apple Watch 2’s battery life, as Micro LED technology is more power efficient. That’s because the panels aren’t powered by a backlight, and offer a better colour gamut and brightness than LCD technology. However, there are drawbacks, including the increased cost of producing OLED screens.

In any case, we should take this report with due caution. It’s still early days, and DigiTimes has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks.

APPLE WATCH 2 BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is one of the biggest sticking points for smartwatch manufacturers, and Apple is no exception. While the Apple Watch will survive a working day under normal usage, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Here’s what Apple had to say about the original Apple Watch battery life:

“Apple Watch is so capable you’ll want to wear it all day long. So we made sure we gave it a battery that lasts all day too. Our goal for battery life was 18 hours after an overnight charge, factoring in things like checking the time, receiving notifications, using apps and doing a 30-minute workout. And because everyone will use their Apple Watch differently, we tested several other metrics as well.”

Apple’s tests revealed the following battery life data:

• All-day battery life – 18 hours
• Talk Time test – 3 hours
• Audio Playback test – 6.5 hours
• Workout test – 6.5 hours
• Watch test – 48 hours
• Power Reserve – 72 hours
• Charge time – 1.5 hours to 80%; 2.5 hours to 100%

If the Apple Watch 2 uses the same 205mAh/246mAh battery featured in the first-generation Apple Watch, then battery life should be no better or worse. However, if Apple decides to increase the screen resolution or use a more demanding processor, we could see an impact on charge cycles. Alternatively, Apple could use a more efficient processor, or make watchOS optimisations to boost the Apple Watch 2’s battery life.

APPLE WATCH 2 SOFTWARE

The Apple Watch uses a brand-new operating system called watchOS, based on Apple’s existing iOS mobile platform. With the Apple Watch 2, we’d expect to be using a new, revamped version of watchOS with new features. Apple first released the watchOS on 24 April 2015, alongside the Apple Watch. WatchOS also has its own dedicated API called WatchKit. The software is written in Objective-C and Swift, and is largely closed, albeit for a few open-source components.

Apple eventually debuted watchOS 2 on September 21, 2015, despite being originally pegged for a September 16 release – a bug fix was to thank for the delay. Then, during Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote in June, Apple revealed watchOS 3.

Apple announced a number of improvements with watchOS 3, including:

• Improved performance (seven times faster)
• Scribble (drawing-to-text conversion)
• Dock button (rebranding of the side button – loads favourite apps)
• New health and fitness features (like social sharing and the Breathe meditation app)
• SOS (built-in panic button that dials emergency services)

If the Apple Watch 2 does launch this year, it will almost certainly run on watchOS 3.

APPLE WATCH 2 FEATURES

The Apple Watch boasted a number of conventional features such as Bluetooth 4.0, near-field communication (NFC) technology, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n. The Apple Watch 2 probably won’t lose any of these capabilities, but may add some new ones.

Here’s what could be coming.

Apple Watch 2: Force Touch or 3D Touch

With the original Apple Watch, just two levels of pressure could be utilised – a tap, and a hard press. Apple dubbed this technology ‘Force Touch’ at the time, but it’s since moved on, more recently introducing ‘3D Touch’ technology on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. This allowed the smartphone display’s to register three different levels of pressure.

If the Apple Watch 2 does eventually arrive, moving from Force Touch to 3D Touch would work well as an upgrade.

Apple Watch 2 Digital Crown

The Apple Watch famously introduced a new control medium to the smartwatch – the Digital Crown. The dial, positioned on the side of the Apple Watch, was inspired by traditional watches, and allowed for new gestures based on dial-twisting.

While reception to the mechanism was mixed, it’s likely Apple will stick to its guns on the next-generation device – especially since the feature is deeply integrated into watchOS.

Does the Apple Watch 2 work with tattoos?

One key flaw with the original Apple Watch is that the heart-rate sensor struggles to work with tattooed skin. As a result, some of the features didn’t work, and heart-rate results were often inaccurate. Apple eventually admitted the fault, adding the following to the Apple Watch support page:

“Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart-rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.”

While you can work around the issue by using third-party monitors – such as Bluetooth chest straps – it’s hardly ideal. As such, we’d hope Apple manages to fix this problem next time around, although there have been no rumours suggesting this is the case thus far.

Apple Watch 2: Cellular connectivity

Apple is planning to include cellular connectivity with the Apple Watch 2, the Wall Street Journal recently reported. This would mean Apple Watch users could operate the device without the need for a paired iPhone.

“Apple is working on adding cell-network connectivity and a faster processor to its next-generation Watch,” the report reads.

This suggests that Apple is keen to push the Apple Watch as a standalone device. That theory is reinforced by Apple’s recent update to its watchOS 2 developer guidelines. The rules were changed so that from June 1, developers may only submit Apple Watch apps that can run natively on the Apple Watch, with no need for a nearby iPhone.

When the Apple Watch first launched, many apps required a paired handset that powered the apps remotely. The turnaround means that Apple may not want to limit the Apple Watch to just iPhone owners going forward.

APPLE WATCH 2 STRAPS & BANDS

Apple currently offers a wide range of Apple Watch straps and bands, and the Apple Watch 2 looks likely to be no different. With the launch of the new watch, we’d expect to see a number of new bands and colours. We’d also hope – although nothing has been confirmed – that first-generation Apple Watch straps and bands will be compatible with the Apple Watch 2.

On 3 December 2015, the US Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple application for a watch-band patent. The patent detailed a method of weaving light-transmissive materials into a strap to create a woven display. This display would allow light to be transmitted from the band, and could be used as a notification blinker. Unfortunately, since this is just a patent application, there’s no telling whether Apple will actually utilise such a technology in a future iteration of the Apple Watch.

APPLE WATCH 2 PRICE

We’ve heard very little in terms of potential pricing for the Apple Watch 2, so we’ll just have to settle for educated guesswork. The Apple Watch 2 price will likely be between £500 and £1,000, depending on the model. However, we’d also expect to see a cheaper Apple Watch Sport variant appear again.

We’re not so confident, mind, that there will be second version of the Apple Watch Edition – asking customers to fork out another £10,000 a year after they’ve just bought a new Apple Watch might not go down too well.

Current Apple Watch pricing in the UK is as follows:

• Apple Watch Sport – £299 to £339
• Apple Watch – £479 to £949
• Apple Watch Edition – £8,000 to £13,500

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE APPLE WATCH 2?

Most watch-makers don’t expect you to change your timepiece every year, but the Apple Watch 2 could offer enough upgrades to encourage folk to loosen those purse strings. Unfortunately, it’s far too early for us to gauge whether the Apple Watch 2 will be a worthy upgrade.

While a number of improvements could be introduced with the second-generation Apple Watch, owners of the current iteration probably won’t find enough cause to pick up the new version.

If you’re a smartwatch first-timer, however, the Apple Watch 2 could be a worthwhile purchase. After all, the company will hopefully have ironed out all the kinks from the original Apple Watch.

Source: trustedreviews.com