We’ve been expecting the Apple Watch lineup to get a big shakeup this year to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and now we may just know what that will include.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, the Apple Watch Series 10 (or Apple Watch X) will receive some sizeable upgrades.
“This fall, Apple is planning some notable changes to its original smartwatch line — the “Series” models — including larger displays,” Gurman explains. “The device also will be thinner, though the design itself is unlikely to look much different.”
Gurman says the Series 10 will come in two versions, with larger displays. The models are currently codenamed N217 and N218, and they’ll offer a screen around as large as the Apple Watch Ultra’s display.
New chipset incoming?
While Gurman notes that the expected Apple Watch Ultra 3 “won’t get a major design change”, new models are expected to receive a new chip to “lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road”.
Sadly, that doesn’t mean on-device Apple Intelligence, as Gurman recommends users hoping for the new AI features to temper their expectations somewhat.
“For now, that service is only headed to the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Later, it will come to the Vision Pro, but there are no plans to bring the full initiative to the watch.”
It also seems the release, which actually coincides with the anniversary of the Apple Watch reveal in 2014 rather than its release in 2015, will come too soon for Apple’s latest health sensors.
High blood pressure and sleep apnea detection tools are planned, but Gurman notes the company has run into “some serious snags”. Gurman says reliability is an issue with hypertension, while sleep apnea is tied to the blood oxygen monitoring that’s currently the subject of an ongoing legal battle with Masimo Corp.
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