Apple Watch 2 is coming in 2016, report claims
Is your Apple Watch already feeling a little, well, old? If so, you’ll be pleased to learn that, as you’d perhaps have expected, Cupertino is planning on releasing a second-generation version of its wearable device in 2016. At least, that’s what one recent report out of China claims.
The news comes from UDN, and reached us from 9to5mac. The new report, as 9to5mac relays, “cites comments made during a meeting with Barry Lam, chairman and founder of Quanta Computer, an Apple Watch manufacturer.” Though, somewhat surprisingly, UDN argues that the second-generation device will launch in the second or even third quarter next year, rather than in April. This would place the release of the Apple Watch 2 over a year after the launch of the original model in the Apple Online Store.
The report does mention initial shipments in small volume during the second quarter, meaning possibly meaning June, although that could amount to production ramping up ahead of a fall launch which is ordinarily what occurs before major product launches.
As such, the launch of the Apple Watch 2 could occur around two years after the device was first introduced to the world on-stage, during Apple’s September 2014 event.
It’ll be interesting to see how Apple handles Watch releases, and how owners of the device respond to them. After dropping some $600 on the luxury smartwatch, would you upgrade to a newer model a year later, or is this a device that should be kept for a good few years before switching? In the past, Apple’s iOS devices have felt outdated by the mobile OS after a cycle or two (already, my iPhone 6 Plus is feeling a little sluggish under iOS 9.1). If the same thing happens with the Apple Watch, consumers could find themselves looking to upgrade more regularly and perhaps opting for the lesser-priced Sport model, instead.
Though, if a report in June had it right, many iOS fans interested in the Apple Watch have chosen to wait for the second-generation model, anyway.
As always, we’ll keep you posted on this front.