Newest Rumor Suggests Apple Watch 2 Will Feature Two Key Upgrades

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Well, Apple’s March 21st “Let Us Loop You In” event came and went, without so much as an ominous sign alluding to when we might be graced by the Apple Watch refresh that many of us are so eagerly anticipating. And while bits-and-pieces rumors continue to trickle their way into the limelight, we still do not know the magical “when” factor.

However, what we do know (based on these recent rumors) is that a considerably thinner, more power efficient Apple Watch 2 is looming somewhere over the not too distant horizon — and will possibly even arrive in time for a fall release. But wait! There’s also an entirely new rumor, out this morning, which alleges that Apple’s 2nd generation wearable will boast a number of hardware advancements over its predecessor — including cellular LTE connectivity, as well as an even faster ‘S2’ custom SoC.

iDrop_AppleWatch2_01

The new report comes to us courtesy of The Wall Street Journal who, citing unknown sources, alleges that these features will almost certainly be making their way onto the Cupertino-company’s 2nd generation Watch. And these would only be logical features to include, don’t you think?

For starters, the current iteration of Apple’s Watch is somewhat crippled — in that, in order to function properly, the wearable device needs to be tethered to an iPhone. So creating the Watch as a standalone entity will almost certainly appeal to an even wider market of potential customers, right?

As far as the custom ‘S2’ CPU is pertinent, Apple’s current Watch is sporting an ‘S1’ chip — which, as an Apple exclusive, low-power silicon, is capable of powering the Watch for up to one full day on a single charge.

As minimal as these moves may seem, they paint a much broader picture about the direction that Apple is eyeing with its wearable tech. An LTE data enabled Apple Watch, for instance, would open up the door for people to use the watch 100% wirelessly — independent of a tethered iPhone, in other words.

Also, the inclusion of an LTE chip (coupled with an A-GPS receiver), would pave the way for even faster, more accurate exercise measurements like distance and pace when on the move.

Aside from those minor, bits-and-pieces details, however, Apple Watch 2 is expected to look very much akin to the current generation model — although it is expected that Apple Watch 2 will feature up to a 40% thinner shell. Internally, as in, “under the hood”, is where the breadth of Apple’s changes are poised to be taking place. After all, the Cupertino-company is progressively seeking to open the world of Apple Watch to an increasingly broad market of customers — many of whom might not have an iPhone, but would otherwise consider purchasing a Watch.

Even despite all of the inconsistent rumors, we’re still wiling to hedge our bets on an Apple Watch 2 launch taking place sometime this year. Exactly when, this year? Well, several reports have emerged revealing conflicting views on that. However, most tend to agree that the unveiling will take place in June (at the earliest), or even in September — alongside the iPhone 7.

Learn More: Apple Watch Software Update Renders Battery Bands Completely Useless

What are your thoughts about Apple’s Watch 2? Let us know in the comments!

 Featured photo © Aleksey Boldin | Dreamstime.com

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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