One of the long-awaited wearables to reach the market last year was the Apple Watch, which competed against over 10 smartwatches running the Android Wear. Apple’s first wearable was reported to help the company gain great quarterly revenue during the first month of this year. Fortune revealed that 26 Wall Street analysts said that the tech company’s revenue rose from a lowly 3.1 million to a high 10.5 million since the release of the Apple Watch.
Should You Wait for Apple Watch 2?
Upon closer review, the Apple Watch was found to be not as competitive as the other Android smartwatches on the market, as it offers almost the same features as its competitors. But many experts are hopeful that Apple will be able to gain ground in the wearable market with the arrival of their second-generation Apple Watch.
Initial rumors revealed the possible release of the Apple Watch 2 on March 21, along with the launch of the iPhone SE and the iPad Air 3. However, that seems to have been, just a rumor, as no release has been confirmed.
Nevertheless, iFans were ecstatic with the release of the two new Apple products, particularly the iPhone SE. Although, you shouldn’t underestimate this small smartphone, as O2 revealed that the SE comes with advanced specifications – A9 processor and M9 motion coprocessor, 12-inch iSight camera, NFC chip for Apple Pay, and many more features similar to that of the iPhone 6. The handset’s OS and other features made it compatible with the current Apple Watch and its second-generation wearable if ever the company releases it by June alongside the iOS 10 upgrade at the WWDC 2016 event or much later in September along with Apple’s next handset, the iPhone 7.
Rumored Features of Apple Watch 2
There are plenty of new features that will be featuring on the second-generation Apple Watch, including:
Its starting price will be at $349, but expect its gold edition to be marked up at $17,000.
The new smartwatch will feature the updated Watch OS 3 that allows users to do more activities directly from the device.
Watch 2 will feature a new wireless chipset that allows the smartwatch to perform basic communication even without a paired iPhone.
It will feature a video camera for FaceTime video calling.
Lost Apple Watches can now be found using Wi-Fi triangulation - a more accurate location tracker than GPS, according to Arstechnica.
New models will be launched, offering more than just the standard versions, such as the Sport and Edition variants. Expect new materials to be introduced, possibly titanium, platinum, and even Liquidmetal to the design.
A thinner screen or bezel with better battery life will be featured.
Expect a new collection of smart bands, as previous rumors revealed Apple filed a patent for a strap that has light fibers woven in to allow notifications to flow from the wrist all the way around the watch.
At the moment, all rumors seem relatively feasible, even though the release date is still unsure. The $100 price cut on the Apple Watch by US retailers suggests that a new timepiece will arrive soon (from $349 to $249 online). So far, various resources state people shouldn’t expect a major refresh, aside from its new bands and models featuring fashion brands.
There could be new bands and partnerships with fashion companies, but it’s going to be the same watch - TechCruch.
BGR backs up this statement by saying, “Word on the street is that the only changes to the Watch aside from software updates and a few new bands.”
