We could be in for a faster, LTE-connected Apple Watch
When can you expect to spend your hard-earned money on an Apple Watch Series 3? The original Apple Watch launched in April 2015, while Series 2 launched alongside the iPhone in September last year. There’s no established pattern yet, which makes it difficult to guess.
Well, until now. Apple Watch Series 3 will launch this fall, according to a new report from Digitimes, which tends to be good at reporting supply chain and part stuff and less good at reporting other things. In this case, Digitimes bases its report off the fact that the Apple Watch will gain a new supplier, Compal Electronics, and will start shipping this fall.
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This time frame matches an earlier report from China’s Economic Daily News, which claimed the Series 3 would launch this fall. For the time being, Apple still sees the Apple Watch as an accessory to the iPhone, so it makes sense that the company would want to launch it alongside its new smartphones.
It’s been all quiet on the Series 3 front, with the biggest rumors for changes include moving from a glass panel to a new glass film touch solution and LTE. Christopher Rolland, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group, says he believes the next Apple Watch will include a SIM card, which means it’ll have LTE support.
Oh, and a bigger battery. That bigger battery is likely to balance out any power sucking from an LTE chip, which has reportedly been Apple’s biggest concern in adding standalone connectivity to its smartwatch. For instance, way back before Series 2 was announced Apple was researching low-power cellular chips.
It seems unlikely that Apple will change the design of the watch drastically, or introduce any new advanced health sensors, while it’s busy trying to balance battery life for an LTE-enhanced Apple Watch. So, thus far, it sounds like the Series 3 could be a modest upgrade sporting a fast processor and better battery efficiency, with a standalone connection as the major new feature.
