It’s safe to say that the Watch was truly Apple’s first BIG product launched without Steve Jobs. Debuted in 2015, the Watch slowly but surely became one of Apple’s most valuable offerings, transforming from a fashion wearable into a life-saving piece of tech… and apparently, Apple has major plans to celebrate its 10th year anniversary, quite similar to how Apple debuted the iPhone X in 2017 to mark the iPhone’s decade-dominance.
News of a rumored Watch X broke on Power On, Mark Gurman’s weekly newsletter for Bloomberg, where he described the Watch X as the smartwatch’s biggest overhaul. “With the X model, Apple designers are working on a thinner watch case and have explored changing the way bands are attached to the device,” Gurman said. It isn’t clear if Apple will be transitioning to a new design or shape (given how far the WatchOS has come), but it will mark a significant shift in the watch’s design – mirroring what Apple did for the iPhone X.
Image Credits: Fraser Leid
Apple Watch Concept by Fraser Leid
Apple originally announced the Watch in 2014 and began preorders in 2015. Gurman mentions that it’s unclear if Apple will celebrate the wearable’s 10-year anniversary in 2024 or 2025, but is pretty confident that this year’s Watch Series 9 isn’t going to see any significant aesthetic changes or major upgrades. Rumor has it that the Watch Ultra will get satellite connectivity – a feature that Apple’s been working hard on condensing down to the format of a wearable.
As far as the Watch X goes, Gurman goes into detail talking about how it may eschew the existing watch strap system for a magnetic strap attachment protocol. This new system could help save space within the Watch for a bigger battery. The Watch X may also upgrade from OLED to MicroLED displays which would offer much better color representation and overall clarity… and if past rumors are any indication, hopefully, a non-invasive glucose monitoring system which would be one of the most significant innovations of this decade!
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