Rumor: Second-gen Apple Watch going into trial production this month

Posted:
in Apple Watch
The next-generation Apple Watch could go into trial production with Quanta later this month, paving the way for a launch in the not-too-distant future, according to rumors.




In full-scale manufacturing Apple might also turn to some of its other partners to boost production capacity, Taiwan's Commercial Times said. These could include Foxconn, Inventec, and Wistron.

Trial production is deliberately small-scale, meant to iron out any problems. It's often an immediate harbinger of mass production, which in this case would suggest that Apple is hoping to launch the new Watch within just a few months.

In November, in fact, Quanta's chairman suggested that the product would launch by the end of the second quarter of 2016, putting its debut somewhere between April and June. An April launch might even be more likely, given rumors of a March press event for the device.

At the same time, very few rumors of planned upgrades have emerged, though leaks are less common when dealing with Apple's non-iPhone products. Some talk has pointed to things like a longer-lived battery and improved outdoor visibility.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    Do we know anything about the new watch? Is it going to be thinner? I assume they will work on battery life and display along with a faster chip.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    sog35 said:
    Exciting!

    I'm ready to upgrade my 38mm space grey.

    I wonder if Apple will be doing trade-in's for Watches? How much? I hope I can get $150 for a trade-in
    What trade in program are you talking about?  I highly doubt apple is going to be offering a trade in of 50% for a device thats a year old.  Have they ever done that before?
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 3 of 26
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    I really like my Apple Watch. Wear and use it everyday. I use each and every one of of my many Apple products, but like everyone else on a budget, I need to be choosy about which items I acquire and use. My needs don't often change, and I had to think long and hard about AW, and I'm pleased. 

    But the prospect up upgrading to new models is harder. While I think the iPhone 6s is a great phone, and I'd like to upgrade from my iPhone 5s, I can't justify the cost just yet. At some point, the 5s will stop working, and I'll be forced to do so. Same is true of my AW. A nice complimentary bonus on going with AW was I got Apple Pay functions that I wouldn't have on the 5s. 

    What happens is that over several upgrade cycles, the increase in value becomes substantial. I have a 2013 MBA that is a great machine, and suits my needs quite well. And my 2009 27" iMac is the same way. But I can see me converging these products in the future - a laptop with a thunderbolt display will give me the best of both worlds perhaps at a less price than replacing both. But I'll need to be in a position of replacing both to pull that trigger.

    tl;dr: I'll need to see extensive "must have" features on a new AW to upgrade.

  • Reply 4 of 26
    If that Space Black SS with Space Black Milanese Loop is real, I'm all in at 42mm. That's just a gorgeous piece of hardware.
    mac fanwilliamlondonnetmage
  • Reply 5 of 26
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    Do we know anything about the new watch? Is it going to be thinner? I assume they will work on battery life and display along with a faster chip.
    unless somebody here works for apple, no, we dont know any of that.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,450member
    I wish Apple would put their energy into making the Apple Watch software actually useful. I use it as a watch but everything else it does is already done with my iPhone (and better). I like my AW, it's nice to look at and it saves me a trip to my pocket (to get my iPhone) but when will it become a really useful product? 
  • Reply 7 of 26
    carthusia said:
    If that Space Black SS with Space Black Milanese Loop is real, I'm all in at 42mm. That's just a gorgeous piece of hardware.
    In the above pic that looks like a Black Al/Sport not SS. I'd be in for either with a matching band. 

    In a v2 Watch I'd like to see a brighter screen for outdoors and an always-on watch face. And more watch faces! Thinner, maybe by a couple of mm or two. But that could cost battery life, and more battery would be needed for the first two items on my wish list.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    Any word on the S2 chip? If it isn't on the latest Samsung 14 nm FF or TSMC's 16 nm FF, I am not interested. Hopefully they will be bringing out a chip using TSMC's InFO process in the near future. Moving the chip from a 28 nm process to 20 nm will help, but the watch really could use the state of the processes to build the most advanced S series chip. 

    I can wait. 
  • Reply 9 of 26
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    spice-boy said:
    I wish Apple would put their energy into making the Apple Watch software actually useful. I use it as a watch but everything else it does is already done with my iPhone (and better). I like my AW, it's nice to look at and it saves me a trip to my pocket (to get my iPhone) but when will it become a really useful product? 
    What are the features you have in mind?
    williamlondon
  • Reply 10 of 26
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    sog35 said:
    Do we know anything about the new watch? Is it going to be thinner? I assume they will work on battery life and display along with a faster chip.
    IMO, I don't see a body change. The iPhone only changes body every other year. iPad is like every 3 years. Can't see them changing the body after 1 year on a relatively low volume device.


    Not necessarily true. Think of the change from the original iPad to the iPad 2. Got thinner, much better hardware, more features and a lot more capable in one year.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    steviet02 said:
    What trade in program are you talking about?  I highly doubt apple is going to be offering a trade in of 50% for a device thats a year old.  Have they ever done that before?
    I agree. Not sure Apple could refurbish such a product, and there's not much to recycle. About the only place it makes sense is for the Edition, where there's at least around 1-2K worth of gold in it, to make it worth their while. It might also make a good marketing campaign for their top of the line model to get the wealthy customers to re-up the 10-17k asking price (we'll surely see the 18K gold link bracelet debut finally with the 2nd gen). The only problem I see with the Edition, is that it's not very special, other than it's made out of gold. Cook specifically said that the Edition would be sold in "very limited" quantities which adds considerably to the value of anything. Well there's a new watch likely coming out in 2 months, and all models of the Edition is still readily available.

    If Apple did offer a trade-inprogram of some sort, like an annual upgrade plan like the iPhone, then it's unlike to see anything close to $200 trade in value on their lowest price model. Mainly because I fully expect Apple to continue selling the original Watch Sport and stainless models for $100 or more less new, alongside the Watch 2. 
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 12 of 26
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    A watch is something that people expect to last a lot longer than one year, so any price that would make economic sense for Apple to offer for a first gen watch, just one year old, would set a bad precedent for all watches it wishes to sell new.  So the company will not have a trade-in program.  That will be left to the 3rd-party companies already in the trade-in business.  

    It very well may be that Apple will alter the style in some manner, though I can't imagine what changes they might make.  They'll want to sell the first gen alongside the 2nd gen without casting it as last year's now-cheaper model.  Who knows?  Sure will be fun to see what they do.
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 13 of 26
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    A watch is something that people expect to last a lot longer than one year, so any price that would make economic sense for Apple to offer for a first gen watch, just one year old, would set a bad precedent for all watches it wishes to sell new.  So the company will not have a trade-in program.  That will be left to the 3rd-party companies already in the trade-in business.  

    It very well may be that Apple will alter the style in some manner, though I can't imagine what changes they might make.  They'll want to sell the first gen alongside the 2nd gen without casting it as last year's now-cheaper model.  Who knows?  Sure will be fun to see what they do.
    Who says the Watch won't last for more than one year? I have a Macintosh from 1984 that still works just fine, and does everything I bought it for in the first place as well today as it did then.

    So what exactly does releasing a second generation device a year later with more features to justify the expense have to do with upsetting customers who bought the first gen device?

    I mean seriously how could Apple possibly sell the first gen watch alongside the 2nd get watch for the same price with a straight face? Besides, the first ten watch has already been sold at a substantial discount at the world's largest discount retailer. Hard to avoid casting it anything other than last year's now cheaper model. The only way to prevent that is for Apple to sell the new model for more than the current model, and leave the current price alone. They don't really have a history of doing that, and I don't really see them doing it now. If anything they drop the price after the first generation model.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    My prediction is that they will NOT sell the current generation 1 AW after the introduction of the 2nd gen (aside from clearing out inventory, or as refurbs).  Doesn't really make sense to sell gen 1 at a lesser price, which only affects the perception of value.  

    I expect gen 2 to have subtle design changes from gen 1, but just evolutionary.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    Any word on the S2 chip? If it isn't on the latest Samsung 14 nm FF or TSMC's 16 nm FF, I am not interested. Hopefully they will be bringing out a chip using TSMC's InFO process in the near future. Moving the chip from a 28 nm process to 20 nm will help, but the watch really could use the state of the processes to build the most advanced S series chip. 

    I can wait. 
    You will seriously not buy the watch solely based on its chip manufacturing process?
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 16 of 26
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    brucemc said:
    My prediction is that they will NOT sell the current generation 1 AW after the introduction of the 2nd gen (aside from clearing out inventory, or as refurbs).  Doesn't really make sense to sell gen 1 at a lesser price, which only affects the perception of value.  

    I expect gen 2 to have subtle design changes from gen 1, but just evolutionary.
    We shall see. It really all boils down to how badly Apple wants to get the watch out there as widespread as possible, and how much they change the new model. And walstreet is going to likely demand better performance on both accounts.

    People who can't afford the Watch at the current price aren't even going to look for a reason to use it. If Apple offers a more affordable version, then more people are going to be willing to try it over spending much less to buy a fitbit for instance (if all they want are the fitness functions). And, if Apple adds features customers want, along with a faster processor, and new fashionable design, then there's no competition with the older watch.

    Moreover, this is a watch, and traditional watchmakers offer watches at all price points. Again, Apple will be pricing older technology that still does quite a lot, with fewer features, for less than when it was new. Just like the iPhone. Now Apple starts to have a watch collection. In fact, Apple could offer the gen 1 watch as is for several years and still have it be a fantastic device for many people, who don't need the speed, or latest bells and whistles, or at some point update it as a "classic" design when they've introduced 3 or four newly styled models. And it will still be as stylish as it was when they introduced it. That's how most of the fashion and luxury watch industry works as they introduce new models every year, but don't necessarily discontinue a model that's selling well. And Apple has a much better excuse for lowing their prices than other watch makers -- the technology is older, and therefore costs less to make. Watch makers don't really have that ability since the materials to make the watch aren't likely any less expensive from year to year.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    sog35 said:
    Exciting!

    I'm ready to upgrade my 38mm space grey.

    I wonder if Apple will be doing trade-in's for Watches? How much? I hope I can get $150 for a trade-in
    Maybe a third party. Gazelle?

    ETA: Not Gazelle it seems.
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 18 of 26
    I wonder if there'll be a Watch Upgrade Programme. Or a Mac Upgrade Programme.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    mac fan said:
    carthusia said:
    If that Space Black SS with Space Black Milanese Loop is real, I'm all in at 42mm. That's just a gorgeous piece of hardware.
    In the above pic that looks like a Black Al/Sport not SS. I'd be in for either with a matching band. 

    In a v2 Watch I'd like to see a brighter screen for outdoors and an always-on watch face. And more watch faces! Thinner, maybe by a couple of mm or two. But that could cost battery life, and more battery would be needed for the first two items on my wish list.
    Always on face, cuts your battery life by 5 probably... So, instead of 36h for the 42mm, 6-8h.. Are you OK with that?
    Brighter face would just compound this even further to under 6h.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    spice-boy said:
    I wish Apple would put their energy into making the Apple Watch software actually useful. I use it as a watch but everything else it does is already done with my iPhone (and better). I like my AW, it's nice to look at and it saves me a trip to my pocket (to get my iPhone) but when will it become a really useful product? 
    depends when you start using it. 

    the activity tracker on the AW is not reproduced by iphone. ive never received a notification from my phone that i havent moved for the hour -- especially since my phone is often in a dock when im working, which would make tracking my movement impossible. as an office work its important to me to get up and move around every hour, and the notifications are perfect for this if i havent.

    likewise for heart rate tracking, which it uses several times a week for my cardio workout calculations.
    edited January 2016
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