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Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra to Get 'Almost No' Hardware Upgrades This Year

SmugMaverick

SmugMaverick

macrumors 6502a
Aug 31, 2017
719
1,932
UK
The hardware design team is literally non existent at Apple now, led by Jeff "bean counter" Williams.

iPhone with same design for 5 years and same camera design for 6 years, iPad Pro "redesign" is just thinner, Watch 10 is just a thinner "redesign".

Jeff probably thinks they can just reuse the same tired stuff and the sheep will lap it up.

Everyone that made Apple great has since left or retired, something is rotten at Apple lately.
 
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BorisDG

BorisDG

macrumors 6502
Sep 28, 2021
402
675
Bulgaria, EU
They said similar thing for S9 that will be small upgrade, but honestly was quite big - new display, new SoC, more storage... so I'm expecting Ultra 3 to be big again.
 
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S

SAIRUS

macrumors 6502a
Aug 21, 2008
821
518
Tim is really loving not having to pay for any retooling...not loving that his product team isn't giving him any new features.

Law suits will take some features away....sigh.
 
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coachgq

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2009
940
1,888
erikkfi said:
They don’t seem to know what more to do with the Watch at this point. I’ve upgraded every three years and am due this year but can’t think of a reason to go from 7 to 10. In more likely to hold off.
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I was in the same boat. Series 2-4-7-UW1. I like the UW because of the flat screen and just overall design along with battery life. I but the UW1 this year for ~$400, and sold my 7 for about 225. Very happy with the upgrade but I don't have any desire to buy an UW2, and based on this won't buy the UW3 either.
 
groove-agent

groove-agent

macrumors 68000
Jan 13, 2006
1,875
1,769
I think Apple should make an Apple Watch Ultra SE, even though the name is probably an oxymoron somehow.

The large screen is great for Gen Xers like me, and it looks a lot better as a watch compared to the other models. I'm not doing big hikes or extreme sports like I used to - I just really like the look of it and the big screen for my crappy aging eyes.
 
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Beautyspin

macrumors 65816
Dec 14, 2012
1,039
1,195
cuiver said:
There is little to no competition in this rugged wearable space, so this is to be expected. Developing new features costs money, and if they can run it with just some incremental updates, they make more $$$ out of it. The other brands needs to get their s***t together and make some minimally competitive products so that Apple can feel compelled to be more active in the upgrades.
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Apple executives have already gone on record stating that they are already giving more features than required and would have downgraded features if that was possible.


DOJ complaint point umber 14).

"As Apple’s executives openly acknowledge: “In looking at it with hindsight, I think going forward we need to set a stake in the ground for what features we think are ‘good enough’ for the consumer. I would argue we’re already doing *more* than what would have been good enough. But we find it very hard to regress our product features YOY [year over year].” Existing features “would have been good enough today if we hadn’t introduced [them] already,” and “anything new and especially expensive needs to be rigorously challenged before it’s allowed into the consumer phone.”
 
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MarkDeMoss

MarkDeMoss

macrumors member
May 24, 2012
40
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BorisDG said:
They said similar thing for S9 that will be small upgrade, but honestly was quite big - new display, new SoC, more storage... so I'm expecting Ultra 3 to be big again.
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Yeah, it's a big speed difference between S9 processor and the S8 (which is essentially the same as the S7 and not much different than the S6). The processor was a big reason why I spent a few hundred more on a new Ultra 2 as opposed to a used Ultra.
 
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erikkfi

erikkfi

macrumors 68000
May 19, 2017
1,726
8,087
canyonblue737 said:
still a chance the 10 will be a major redesign (in terms of the body, look, band design) combined with blood pressure / sleep apnea detection. they are due a design change this year based on their 3 year cadence since the very first Apple Watch and with it being the 10th version I'm sure they wanted to make a splash... the only question is if something got delayed and for the first time they move to a 4 year identical design cycle (7, 8, 9 and 10) because it wasn't ready in time. the ultra was never due a big redesign this year, it is only entering its 3rd year and will likely get the blood pressure / sleep apnea detection and maybe a new color option. that's enough till the ultra is due its first redesign in 2025.
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Yeah but then I'm buying a Watch that's incompatible with my existing bands, and that's a major turn-off.
 
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azentropy

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,047
5,429
Surprise
eqquito said:
Every product doesn't need a hardware upgrade every year. I am good waiting 2 or 3 years for an Apple Watch Ultra upgrade. The iPad Pro is an example of what happens when hardware is too far ahead of software.
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Somewhat agree as people don't need to upgrade every year. However I think it means more to people who don't have an Apple Watch Ultra already (either a different older AW or nothing at all) and might deter them from getting one and not just waiting another year.
 
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ProbablyDylan

ProbablyDylan

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2024
294
477
Los Angeles
I have the original AWU and have no complaints. Only things that Apple could improve to make me upgrade would be the design - this thing is super thick.
 
Victor Mortimer

Victor Mortimer

macrumors 6502a
Apr 17, 2016
836
1,470
groove-agent said:
I think Apple should make an Apple Watch Ultra SE, even though the name is probably an oxymoron somehow.

The large screen is great for Gen Xers like me, and it looks a lot better as a watch compared to the other models. I'm not doing big hikes or extreme sports like I used to - I just really like the look of it and the big screen for my crappy aging eyes.
Click to expand...

Large screen would be nice, except then I'd have to have it on my wrist. So... no thanks.

If I replace the 7 I've got now in a few years, I'll probably go with the 41mm instead of the 45mm - this thing is just too big on my wrist. No way I'd buy a new one in the US now, I'd smuggle one in from Canada so the pulse oxygen worked.
 
cocky jeremy

cocky jeremy

Suspended
Jul 12, 2008
6,202
6,556
I've been holding off to see what they do with the next one, and even though it doesn't seem to be much, it'll still be a big upgrade from my Apple Watch 7.
 
bigjnyc

bigjnyc

macrumors 604
Apr 10, 2008
7,897
6,849
Great news for my bank account. I'll be holding on to my AWU 1 which is still working great.
 
J

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
10,244
26,829
SoCal
Well, it “should” get the S10 SOC and whatever that offers… and IF Apple puts new sensors in the AW10 and NOT in the Ultra3, then they’ll lose out on sales.
And if Apple does not offer new sensors, we’ll, they’ll miss out on sales
 
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