Apple may be announcing a new Apple Watch Series 3 this year if reports are to be believed. The new wearable will likely be released on the second half of this year.
According to reports, Compal Electronics, a vendor, has been added to the supply chain for the production of the Apple Watch 3 and the shipping of the watches should happen on the second half of the year. Currently, Apple sells both the Apple Watch 1st and 2nd generations side by side, meaning that when the 3rd generation does come out, buyers might have a third option to choose from, if Apple does not drop the 1st gen version, which it is continuing to produce. Quanta Computer is another vendor that manufactures the Apple Watches right now.
As per 9 to 5 Mac’s report, the 3rd generation of the Apple watches may not feature any dramatic design revamps on the outside, but battery and internal specs are likely to be improved. It has been cited by an analyst that Apple might be offering a variant that will have an LTE connection, much like the current generation of Android Wear 2.0 smartphones are capable of, meaning that the smartwatch will be capable of use independently of the companion smartphone. This also means that the new watch could be a little more expensive than usual.
It does seem like Apple might be planning a launch of the new watch sometime around the release of the new Anniversary, and it does seem likely, since last year’s 2nd generation Apple smartwatch was released along with the iPhone 7 in September. However, the first smartwatch was launched back in 2015 in April, so there might not be a coincidence after all. Reports state that the smartwatch will launch in the Fall of this year. There is also talk that Apple will be shifting from glass panels on their smartwatches to a glass film touch display.
Overall, it does seem like there is quite a bit going on in the background of the Apple smartwatch. Nevertheless, it being Apple, we probably cannot expect any more upgrades for the watch to come with. The design language will probably be the same and the watch itself will cost a little more than the regular models currently. An LTE-capable smartwatch by Apple could probably be a good thing for buyers to look forward to.