New leak shows exactly how big the Apple Watch Pro is

AppleInsider

More leaked photographs of protective cases alongside ones intended for the Apple Watch Series 8 practically demonstrate the size of the Apple Watch Pro.

Following the recent leaks both of photographs of third-party cases, and Apple renders of the expected Apple Watch Pro, a new leak shows cases for the whole range.

Regular leaker Sonny Dickson has tweeted a pair of images showing two colors of protective cases. In one, a transparent case is shown for the 49mm size of the Apple Watch Pro, and the 45mm one of both the new Apple Watch Series 8 and last year's Apple Watch Series 7.

In the other, three black protective cases are shown for both of these models, and also the 41mm version of the Series 7 and Series 8.

pic.twitter.com/HHNULJH8Xd

-- Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson)

September 6, 2022

These cases do match the ones from Monday, and they appear to fit with the render. Seperately, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Monday's render is correct.

Monday's Apple Watch Pro CAD leaks show a larger display than is expected for the regular Apple Watch Series 8. Prior rumors place that display at 49mm, compared to the up-to 45mm of the Series 7.

A highlight of the renders is the protrusion around the Digital Crown. That appears to hold not just the digital crown, but an additional button which is said to be user-configurable to invoke just about any action on the Apple Watch.


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iOS_Guy80

Just like the iPhone we will now have an Apple Watch Max to choose from.

radarthekat

I like where this is going.  A wider range of sizes, band compatibility likely, and longer battery life.  Oh, and no round faces like some were certain Apple would eventually cave in on.  

atomic101

Seems like the same iterative process. The iPhone (and smartphones) started out reasonably small, and slowly crept up to become phablet sized. Just like many things in life, the general public has an insatiable demand for bigger. Larger homes, larger vehicles, larger televisions, larger meals, and larger phones. Seems like the easiest way to drum up interest is to simply provide a larger product. 

retrogusto

Question for watch owners: do you find yourselves wishing it were bigger in daily use? For me, the benefit of having multiple devices that can perform similar functions (desktop, laptop, iPad, phone, watch) is that ideally each is optimized for specific use cases, which for the watch means being as compact as possible but always readily available on the wrist. I’m not looking for more functional overlap at the cost of reduced optimization; I don’t need or want to read the news on my watch while lying on the couch at home, if it means that the rest of the time I’m carrying around something bulkier than it needs to be. 

ericthehalfbee

radarthekat said:

I like where this is going.  A wider range of sizes, band compatibility likely, and longer battery life.  Oh, and no round faces like some were certain Apple would eventually cave in on.  

Good. Only reason classic watches had round faces was because of the mechanical movements.

I’ll be getting the Pro for sure if these leaks are correct. I use my AW a lot, and having more screen space is welcome. Plus it still doesn’t look as big as some of the Garmin or other round fitness watches.

charlesn

atomic101 said:

Seems like the same iterative process. The iPhone (and smartphones) started out reasonably small, and slowly crept up to become phablet sized. Just like many things in life, the general public has an insatiable demand for bigger. Larger homes, larger vehicles, larger televisions, larger meals, and larger phones. Seems like the easiest way to drum up interest is to simply provide a larger product. 

Yes and no. It's not really the "general public" that demands bigger all the time. The vast majority of products are still sold at the "normal" sizes, i.e., not XS and not XL. But there is a significant minority demand for larger screens, which Steve, himself, resisted for a long time, until Apple finally and smartly relented. Same thing with the Watch--Apple sees via Garmin, etc., that a lucrative market exists at high price points for a larger screen, ruggedized Watch, so why not go after that money? At the very least, they'll get some existing Watch owners to trade up to this much more expensive model, but they can also attract a whole new market of buyers who currently don't even consider the Watch as a possible purchase. 

As for "larger" vehicles--have you seen a car from the 60s or 70s lately? The land yachts of yesteryear make today's vehicles look like compacts. 

doggone

retrogusto said:

Question for watch owners: do you find yourselves wishing it were bigger in daily use? For me, the benefit of having multiple devices that can perform similar functions (desktop, laptop, iPad, phone, watch) is that ideally each is optimized for specific use cases, which for the watch means being as compact as possible but always readily available on the wrist. I’m not looking for more functional overlap at the cost of reduced optimization; I don’t need or want to read the news on my watch while lying on the couch at home, if it means that the rest of the time I’m carrying around something bulkier than it needs to be. 

I generally go for new features.  The very first Apple Watch had to run app which finally allowed me to put my phone in a pocket and leave it there (bluetooth headphones also helped.
Now it is more about health apps.  A later generation helped me understand I may have afib and when it started getting really bad I got to a hospital.  
The larger sized screen is better because I can fit more complications.  So a bigger screen maybe compelling to me.  
Battery life is okay for me since I wear a previous gen watch for sleep monitoring so I can charge the main one at night.

I will evaluate whether an additional 4mm is worth it.  That decision will be based on the new features and if they are only available in the pro version and there are worth it to me I will probably get one.

charlesn

radarthekat said:

I like where this is going.  A wider range of sizes, band compatibility likely, and longer battery life.  Oh, and no round faces like some were certain Apple would eventually cave in on.  

I think you're right about band compatibility. I just did an onscreen measurement of the band attachment area of these protective "cases" and the 49mm and 45mm seems to be the same. 

atomic101

Some things appear to be cyclical in nature. We went from small cars to large cars, back to small again. And since the 1980s, they’ve only gotten larger, to the point now where a “car” isn’t enough for most people and the market is moving almost entirely to crossover/SUV/trucks. Phones also did a shrink (pre-smartphone), but now have been on a constant march towards growth.

Regardless, it seems that a bigger size is often enough to gain enough attention for a new product launch. 

charlesn said:

atomic101 said:

Seems like the same iterative process. The iPhone (and smartphones) started out reasonably small, and slowly crept up to become phablet sized. Just like many things in life, the general public has an insatiable demand for bigger. Larger homes, larger vehicles, larger televisions, larger meals, and larger phones. Seems like the easiest way to drum up interest is to simply provide a larger product. 

Yes and no. It's not really the "general public" that demands bigger all the time. The vast majority of products are still sold at the "normal" sizes, i.e., not XS and not XL. But there is a significant minority demand for larger screens, which Steve, himself, resisted for a long time, until Apple finally and smartly relented. Same thing with the Watch--Apple sees via Garmin, etc., that a lucrative market exists at high price points for a larger screen, ruggedized Watch, so why not go after that money? At the very least, they'll get some existing Watch owners to trade up to this much more expensive model, but they can also attract a whole new market of buyers who currently don't even consider the Watch as a possible purchase. 

As for "larger" vehicles--have you seen a car from the 60s or 70s lately? The land yachts of yesteryear make today's vehicles look like compacts. 

netrox

I have never thought, "I need a bigger watch"

it's ridiculous.

I want one. 

atomic101

I feel the same. The current Series 5 that I own is perfectly fine from a size standpoint. I can see pushing the display out to the edges like the Series 7, but I never find myself really wishing that I’m not getting enough information. 

Part of why I have the watch is to reduce my reliance on having to handle/glance at my phone. Small and discrete is nice. 

retrogusto said:

Question for watch owners: do you find yourselves wishing it were bigger in daily use? For me, the benefit of having multiple devices that can perform similar functions (desktop, laptop, iPad, phone, watch) is that ideally each is optimized for specific use cases, which for the watch means being as compact as possible but always readily available on the wrist. I’m not looking for more functional overlap at the cost of reduced optimization; I don’t need or want to read the news on my watch while lying on the couch at home, if it means that the rest of the time I’m carrying around something bulkier than it needs to be. 

StrangeDays

I'm guessing the larger size is for more battery, because this will be a new rugged/sport model, not a Pro per se.

StrangeDays

atomic101 said:

Seems like the same iterative process. The iPhone (and smartphones) started out reasonably small, and slowly crept up to become phablet sized. Just like many things in life, the general public has an insatiable demand for bigger. Larger homes, larger vehicles, larger televisions, larger meals, and larger phones. Seems like the easiest way to drum up interest is to simply provide a larger product. 

Larger TV works for me. I upgraded my 42" plasma to a 55" and it takes up almost the same space due to improvements in bezels. But the value of a larger TV is clear -- we get a better viewing experience for the cinematic content we enjoy. I wouldn't go back.