Conflicting rumors battle over Apple Watch Pro band backwards compatibility

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Watch edited August 2022
Two rumors offer conflicting information about if the rumored Apple Watch Pro will have compatibility with the larger Apple Watch bands already on the market.




Apple is due to unveil the Apple Watch Series 8 at its September 7 event, alongside the iPhone 14, but it's previously been reported that the new series will include a Pro version. Now a new leak claims that Apple Watch Pro chassis is likely to be squared off, and the band be made wider.

The leak on Chinese social media site Weibo, comes from user "UnclePan," who previously claimed the Apple Watch Series 7 would feature incompatible bands.




In translation, leaker "Uncle Pan" says that the Apple Watch Pro will have a "screen size of 47mm/48mm." Apple Watch has always come in two sizes, but the difference is more than a millimeter so it appears the leaker is unsure which measurement is right.

Currently, the Apple Watch Series 7 is sold in either a 41mm or a 45mm size, and its display is not quite a square. "UnclePan" believes the reported new size is likely to mean that the new Watch will have a square display.

It's really that square design that makes the leaker extrapolate that the Apple Watch Pro will need wider bands. And then that assumption is what has led to the idea that older bands won't fit it.

But while we will not know until Apple's September 7 event, if then, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman believes the conclusion about incompatible bands is wrong.

I believe the Apple Watch Pro will support older bands -- though maybe they won't fit as well or look as seamless given the size of the new watch.

-- Mark Gurman (@markgurman)


There have been rumors of a flat-edged Apple Watch before, helped by how Apple tends to represent the Watch in its patent application sketches.

If it's true that the new Apple Watch Pro will not work with older bands, that will make it the first Watch to do so since the original launch of the device in 2015.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    macminionmacminion Posts: 24member
    Wonder if the CFB or NFL leagues would allow quarterback’s or defensive captains to wear Apple Watch Pro’s to receive plays? Oh wait, NFL teams are using MicroDell tablets - cancel that theory.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 8
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,422member
    I doubt it. I think it's still the same as 45, just a bigger display. The curved glass is what prevents a full display. If you flatten your S7 screen and make the display edge to edge, it's easy to see how you can easily get 47mm display without changing the dimensions. 


    heli0sramanpfaffwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 8
    heli0sheli0s Posts: 65member
    netrox said:
    I doubt it. I think it's still the same as 45, just a bigger display. The curved glass is what prevents a full display. If you flatten your S7 screen and make the display edge to edge, it's easy to see how you can easily get 47mm display without changing the dimensions. 


    The current larger Apple Watch is already pretty big on the wrist, if that goes bigger it will be too much for most users, I'd wager. Few people want a hockey puck sized watch on their wrist. I too am much more inclined to believe the screen gets a bit bigger but the overall dimensions stay very similar to the current larger size watch. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 8
    leighrleighr Posts: 254member
    There’s always the possibility that the new larger display watch will support an optional battery-band, with charging capabilities. This is something that Apple has explored, and would make sense for a watch with a larger screen and high workout use. 
  • Reply 5 of 8
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,647member
    I hope the bands are interchangeable.

    Mostly for those crazy band collectors out there and for my $600+ Diamond-like black link band in series zero dollars.  
  • Reply 6 of 8
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,305member
    I am skeptical of most of the rumours about this alleged product. Perhaps I missed it, but I've seen no dummy/production units at all so far in the rumour reports.

    Then there's the price: what could Apple POSSIBLY do that would warrant a near doubling the official retail price? Yes, a slightly-larger watch would allow for a more powerful/larger processor or maybe more sensors, but the rumours don't suggest a really significant size upgrade. Durability improvements? Unlikely as well, though maybe Apple would automatically include a protective cover for the "extreme" buyers -- but that really doesn't sound like them, does it?

    While I'm not dismissing the possibility of a slightly larger Apple Watch with a flat-edge design, my suspicion is that the alleged "Apple Watch Pro" will justify its price by including a BAND that can do things the Watch itself cannot do, like take your blood pressure or possibly even monitor your blood sugar: the two "holy grails" that would revolutionise healthcare (again). Now THAT could be worth a grand to many people.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    Of course the bands will fit. The lug width is nowhere near fully utilised, with apple sports band having nearly ~5mm on each side that is immediately tapered inwards. There isn't a need to widen the lug to support different band designs. Rather the real question is how the curve of the sides will taper to ensure that the lug width is maintained - but since Apple have done this numerous times without any weird-looking designs, I'm pretty sure they can eke out a little more.

    As for the bands themselves, they might find some new wider designs, but this is in keeping with what Apple was already doing within their range. 3rd parties have also been offering a range of thin to chunky-styled watch bands using the existing lug width: and they all look normal.

    To use another comparison: the width difference between the smallest Apple watch (38mm) and the largest (45mm) is just 4.7mm across the total width including the crown. While in terms of perception the 38mm looks miniscule next to the 45mm. (This is all while maintaining the lug width across every size.)


    edited August 2022
  • Reply 8 of 8
    uraharaurahara Posts: 733member
    heli0s said:
    netrox said:
    I doubt it. I think it's still the same as 45, just a bigger display. The curved glass is what prevents a full display. If you flatten your S7 screen and make the display edge to edge, it's easy to see how you can easily get 47mm display without changing the dimensions. 


    The current larger Apple Watch is already pretty big on the wrist, if that goes bigger it will be too much for most users, I'd wager. Few people want a hockey puck sized watch on their wrist. I too am much more inclined to believe the screen gets a bit bigger but the overall dimensions stay very similar to the current larger size watch. 
    You haven’t seen Swiss watches as a hockey puck (in any industry with a high salary e.g. lawyers, traders, or just any fancy accessory affectionate)?
    They’re ist still market for those sizes as well. Depends on how much exclusivity (brand, design etc) you add to it.
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