Second-Gen Apple Watch Expected to Launch Alongside 'iPhone 7'
According to a new report citing “supply chain sources,” Apple is expected to unveil its second-generation Apple Watch alongside its “iPhone 7,” and is expecting sales of the smartwatch to be bigger than we're all expecting.
The news comes from DigiTimes (via 9to5mac), a publication which sometimes gets it right, but also sometimes doesn't. In its report, DigiTimes cites “sources from the supply chain,” which claim that “Apple has stepped up procurement of chips and components for the second-generation Apple Watch,” adding that this device “is expected to debut later in 2016.” Based on Apple's release cycle, we'd anticipated that any new hardware releases scheduled for “later in 2016” will in fact be announced in September, alongside the iPhone 7.
Shipments of chips and components for the second-generation smartwatch are expected to begin in Q3 2016, the same source noted. And the orders for these components have also been higher than expected, DigiTimes added:
Orders for the upcoming Apple Watch have been higher-than-expected, said the sources. Judging from the orders, the sources estimated that about two million units of the new Apple Watch could be shipped monthly.
Apple hasn't released firm data for its Apple Watch sales, leaving us all guessing. However, the current thinking is that sales of the smartwatch haven't been so impressive. Because of this, DigiTimes' source noted that Apple's orders are “rather aggressive.”
The next-generation Apple Watch, be it the “Apple Watch 2” or something else, is expected to bring improved processing power to the smartwatch: something customers have been calling out for. Though Apple claims to have made significant improvements to watchOS performance with its recently announced watchOS 3 software update, this update is only available in beta and we aren't sure how significant the improvements are. There's always the chance that we'll see a hardware redesign with the second-generation Apple Watch, but I think this would be unlikely. Instead, I'd guess that an “s” upgrade is on the cards.
Of course, we'll keep you posted with further information as we receive it. Are you planning on picking up a second-generation Apple Watch when it's announced?