Apple Seeking New Supplier to Help Manufacture Apple Watch 2

Apple is currently searching for an additional supplier of next year's rumored Apple Watch 2, according to a new report from supply chain sources (via DigiTimes). The company is speaking with Inventec, Wistron and Foxconn Electronics to join Quanta Computer in the manufacturing of the next generation of the Apple Watch. The report cites a "weaker than expected" profit return for Quanta in regards to the first generation Apple Watch, which is causing a few of the targeted manufacturers to voice concern about supporting the long-term investment in the future device.

apple-watch-trio-new

Quanta has invested heavily in equipment for Apple Watch's manufacturing, but its profit return from the device has been weaker than expected. This is a concern for the ODMs that have been approached as a secondary supply partner, the paper added.

Also mentioned in the report is Apple's ordering of 4 million Apple Watch units for the fourth quarter of 2015, slightly down from the original 6 million planned in preparation for the holiday season since demand is "not as strong as expected." Still, the company expects sales for the wearable device to surpass 10 million units by the end of the year, before leading into the rumored launch period of the Apple Watch 2 sometime in the second quarter of 2016.

Today's news comes after Quanta Computer's chairman Barry Lam was reported to have commented on the impending manufacturing process of the Apple Watch 2, giving the device a launch window sometime late in Q2 2016 and higher volume shipments beginning in Q3. Little is known about the second generation Apple Watch, besides a few rumors that pointed to the possibility of a thinner device, integrated FaceTime camera, and a growing independence from the iPhone.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
LG UltraFine 6K Display TB5

LG UltraFine 6K (32U990A) TB5 Display: Pre-Orders Open September 30

Monday September 29, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Pre-orders for LG's new UltraFine evo 6K display (model 32U990A) with Thunderbolt 5 support will begin on September 30, according to a major U.S. retailer listing. LG first revealed the 32-inch display at CES 2025 in January, teasing its status as the first monitor to support Thunderbolt 5. At the time, LG only provided high-level specs, but left pricing, availability, and full technical...

Top Rated Comments

2457282 Avatar
129 months ago
First point: from 2013 to the beginning of 2015 - let's round that to 2 years - Pebble, the most successfully smartwatch company to that point, had sold a total of 1 million watches. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, let's say that by now it has doubled sales to 2 million (in less than 1 year). Apple is predicted to sell 10 million in its first year (actually only about 6 months). And yet people are calling it a failure.

Second point: with the prices of the watches and an estimated margin of 40-50% I am wondering what is going on at the manufacture that is causing them not to turn over a significant margin? either Apple has another one of those deals where the manufacture was never going to make money or the manufacturer is doing something wrong.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
geoffreyspencer Avatar
129 months ago
Apple Watch 2 needs integrated SIM (eSIM), GPS, more health features (i.e. for diabetics), work with hearing-aids w/o iPhone, needs to be thinner (but connect with current bands) and apps should run without the need for iPhone. I do not care about the camera but others do.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
129 months ago
I doubt that the watch will be thinner for awhile.

Thinner=less gold=less valuable.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
129 months ago
If the Pebble had the kind of tight integration with the iPhone that the Apple Watch has I'm sure it would sell better. But also many buyers of the Apple Watch do so because it's Apple not because it's actually a good product and Apple is facing a problem where unsatisfied buyers are abound telling everyone it's only so-so.

You need only look at the reviews when it came out to see that no one was impressed by it, it was just a "eh" product. That reviewers felt most could do without and many have.

Don't forget Apple sell around 55-75 Million iPhones per quarter. 2-4 Million Apple Watches sold in these same quarters shows it's got a lot of people to convince. I'm not saying it's a failure as selling millions of anything is definitely not a failure indicator but it's certainly not in the same ballpark as the iPhone and you must own an iPhone to use the watch at all.
Your comparisons are not appropriate. Instead look at this - http://www.statisticbrain.com/wrist-watch-industry-statistics/. What you will find is that the entire smartwatch industry pumped out 6.8 million in 2014. If Apple is expected to hit 10 million in its first attempt, it has completely eclipsed the entire smartwatch market. Let's not compare the watch to the phone. Let's compare watches to watches. As a matter of fact, in that same report, it states that the entire swiss watchmaking industry pumped out 29 million watches. So Apple is selling about 33% of swiss industry. When I look at these numbers I would say that Apple has a runaway hit in the watch space and if I focus on the smartwatch space then Apple just killed it. The watch is not a phone -- it's a watch -- so please let's make sure we compare, um, apples to apples.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appledefenceforce Avatar
129 months ago
A "weaker than expected" profit return item with a "very sattisfying" sales. Welcome to Apple economics!
That makes sense. Apple's suppliers and analysts just pull figure out of their asses and expect the impossible. This is why Apple is wise to not engage in public discussion about how much they anticipated to sell, and how much they actually sell. It's a first gen product of a new category for Apple. It's gonna take time to mature and then it will boom. Just like the iPod and iPhone and iPad and Apple TV.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kajje Avatar
129 months ago
This is why Apple is wise to not engage in public discussion about how much they anticipated to sell, and how much they actually sell
I agree with most parts of your post, but not with this.

They have started every keynote speech for the past years with boasting exactly how many million units they've sold of a certain product. With the Apple Watch they don't. I can understand why this raises concerns.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)