Skip to content

Apple Watch 2 to launch with new iPhones this Fall?

So WWDC’s opening keynote came and went without a single hardware announcement – does that mean we’ll see a bumper event full of new tech this fall? If new reports are to be believed, it’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll see a new Apple Watch alongside this year’s iPhone launch in September.

DigiTimes reports that Apple has increased component orders for a second-generation Apple Watch, which “sources from the supply chain” claim is due later this year. Apple has a steady history of releasing its flagship new iPhones every September, and so that particular event looks like the most likely stage in the annual cycle to also launch a new Apple Watch.

The first-generation Apple Watch was first unveiled in March 2015, making September a good time to establish an 18-month update cycle for the wearable device. It’s not clear whether the product will get a full-numbered update – “Apple Watch 2” – or if it will be an interim upgrade like the iPhone goes through on alternate years. Maybe it’ll be an “Apple Watch S” that we see later this year.

The supply chain sources also note that orders for the new Watch have been “higher-than-expected,” estimating that “about two million units of the new Apple Watch could be shipped monthly.” Apple has already revamped the software with watchOS 3, increasing the speed of third-party apps and improving the interface. This new version of watchOS is “coming this fall,” according to Apple. Coincidence?