Apple Watch version 2.0 may come sooner than expected. Originally thought to be launched in September with an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, analysts now believe we’ll see a refresh much sooner, perhaps even at WWDC.
In a research paper written following a tour of facilities in China, Brian White of Drexel Hamilton notes the Apple Watch may also get slimmer:
Finally, we walked away with the sense that the Apple Watch refresh will not occur in September with the iPhone 7, but is more likely to occur within the next 2-3 months, and thus we believe an unveiling at WWDC in June makes sense. We believe Apple Watch 2 could be 20-40% thinner than the current Apple Watch.
Originally thought to be launched last month when Apple unveiled the iPad Pro 9.7-inch and iPhone SE, the new Apple Watch ceded its spot to accessories and a price cut for the original model.
Many speculate the price drop was an effort to move wearables ahead of a refresh — and that may be correct. It’s not beyond Apple to release hardware at WWDC, but there are typically standalone events for product launches.
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But Apple Watch is nearing the one year mark, and very much due for an upgrade. WWDC is as good a time as any to announce new hardware, especially since Apple doesn’t seem to have another event coming our way before then.
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