On September 9, 2014, in direction of the top of Apple’s iPhone 6 press occasion, CEO Tim Cook dinner introduced “another factor,” and after a quick video, appeared on stage sporting the primary Apple Watch. The date of the unique gadget’s unveiling has led some to wonder if Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 occasion on Monday, September 9 may see a particular tenth anniversary model of the Apple Watch debut.
The primary chatter a few attainable “Apple Watch X” appeared again in January 2023, when a French report claimed that Apple deliberate to skip the Apple Watch Sequence 9, very like the corporate did when it launched the iPhone X as an alternative of an iPhone 9 mannequin in 2017. Pronounced “ten,” the “X” branding referred to the iPhone’s tenth anniversary.
That did not occur. Certainly, if “Apple Watch X” had launched in 2023, solely 9 years would have elapsed since Cook dinner unveiled the unique mannequin, which is why the rumor was branded “sketchy.” For the “X” branding to logically make sense, Apple must announce it in 2024 – on Monday, September 9, to be actual, which occurs to be the date of Apple’s iPhone 16 occasion.
Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless uncertainty about whether or not Apple will unveil a particular version “Apple Watch X” or a extra customary difficulty Apple Watch Sequence 10 at subsequent month’s occasion. One purpose is that after the unique Apple Watch presentation in September 2014, it really took seven months earlier than prospects obtained their fingers on the smartwatch, with the gadget’s official launch occurring on April 24, 2015.
Tim Cook dinner unveils the unique Apple Watch in Sept 2014
Another excuse is that the gadget Apple is rumored to be making ready seems, on paper, to be a relatively modest improve on its predecessor. Based on Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to debut a thinner model of the Apple Watch this 12 months, however he has stated it’s “unlikely” that it’ll look a lot totally different than the present fashions. In August 2023, when Gurman first talked about a thinner tenth anniversary mannequin, he stated that Apple was contemplating a magnetic band attachment system that might unlock house within the Apple Watch. Nevertheless, his most up-to-date experiences haven’t talked about this performance.
Apple has additionally been engaged on hypertension and sleep apnea detection for this 12 months’s mannequin, however Gurman says these options might not be able to launch. Apple is reportedly having points with reliability for the hypertension function, which may result in delays, and the sleep apnea detection depends on blood oxygen monitoring that Apple has needed to briefly take away from the Apple Watch on account of patent points.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has additionally steered that the 2024 Apple Watch may have a thinner physique with bigger display sizes. Kuo expects this 12 months’s mannequin to be accessible in 45mm and 49mm sizes, up from the present 41mm and 45mm dimension choices. Nevertheless, Kuo made no point out of the likelihood that this might be a tenth anniversary version.
Alleged next-generation Apple Watch CAD render
CAD renders of what could be the next-generation Apple Watch surfaced in June, allegedly depicting a bigger mannequin with a two inch show, which is a bit larger than the 1.93-inch Apple Watch Extremely. The scale are stated to measure roughly 46 x 39.7 x 11.6mm, so that might be a bit bigger than the Sequence 9 however smaller than the Apple Watch Extremely. The design appears to have the identical Digital Crown and Facet Button, and it’s total just like the Apple Watch Sequence 9. However there is no such thing as a proof of a notably slimmed down case or a magnetic band attachment system.
In abstract, with the Apple Watch Sequence 9 accessible now, an Apple Watch Sequence 10 or “X” can be extra acceptable for 2024, not 2025, however the X naming is simply hypothesis at this level, and Apple might not really feel as if the gadget justifies the branding. Alongside the iPhone 16 and new AirPods, Apple plans to introduce the next-generation Apple Watch at its September 9 occasion, dubbed “It is Glowtime,” with a launch more likely to comply with on September 20. Are you anticipating an Apple Watch X? Tell us within the feedback.
