Apple is supposedly planning to release a new generation of the Apple Watch later this year.
According to a report by industry news site Digitimes, Apple is working with suppliers to release the “upcoming next-generation Apple Watch” in the second half of 2017. The report details how the wearable will continue to be manufactured by Taiwan’s ODM, but doesn’t list any specs or changes.
Digitimes has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks, so it’s worth taking this report with due caution. That said, we’ve already heard a number of Apple Watch 3 rumours this year, and this isn’t the first time a 2017 release has been mooted.
Back in January, China’s Economic Daily News reported that Apple was targeting the third quarter of 2017 for an Apple Watch 3 release. The article explained that Apple was keen to boost the device’s battery life, a problem that has plagued the Apple Watch since it first launched in 2015.
Then in February, Digitimes reported that Apple may be changing the supplier of touch panels for the Apple Watch 3, with the firm reportedly set to utilise a new “glass-film touch solution”. Taiwan’s General Interfact Solution and Hong Kong’s Biel Crystal Manufactory were both said to be in the running for a supply deal.
And just last month, analyst Christopher Roland reported that Apple was plotting standalone mobile connectivity and a more advanced processor to boot. Roland’s predictions were based on discussions with suppliers in Asia.
Of course, Apple hasn’t confirmed any such details about a new Apple Watch Series 3, so these leaks with a pinch of salt.
