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Daring Fireball: Apple Watch Series 3 to Feature 'All-New Form Factor' [Updated]

Friday August 4, 2017 2:15 pm PDT by Juli Clover
The third-generation Apple Watch, set to launch this fall, will have an "all-new form factor" according to Daring Fireball's John Gruber.

Gruber shared the news in a post highlighting Bloomberg's news suggesting the device will include an LTE chip.
It's hard to overstate just how big a deal this could be. No mention in Businessweek's report, though, of the all-new form factor that I've heard is coming for this year's new watches.
Most rumors about the third-generation Apple Watch have suggested it will be a more minor update that focuses on battery life and other under-the-hood improvements, but ahead of the launch of the Series 2 Apple Watch, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the third version would include the device's first redesign.

Though we're likely just over a month away from the debut of the third-generation Apple Watch, if it does indeed launch alongside new iPhones, we've heard very little about the device. Aside from rumors of LTE connectivity and a focus on battery, we don't know what else to expect.

If there are major design changes in the works, Apple has managed to keep them under wraps, perhaps because of all the focus on the iPhone 8 this year.

Update: Gruber updated his post to clarify that his information comes from "a little birdie" and that it might not be accurate: "That tidbit came from an unconfirmed little birdie, though, so I wouldn’t bet the house on it."

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, watchOS 6
Tag: daringfireball.net
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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enc0re
26 months ago
Give me a round option and I'll finally buy.
Rating: 27 Votes
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farewelwilliams
26 months ago
incompatible with your $10k Apple Watch Edition band
Rating: 24 Votes
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cmaier
26 months ago
I just want:

1) the watch face to always be displayed. Awkwardly raising my wrist (which only works if I sort of snap it up) or tapping is dumb - this isn't 1976 when we had to deal with LED digital watches.

2) developer access to watch faces. How is it possible that developers still cannot create custom watch faces?

If keeping the form factor "big" and not adding LTE is necessary to provide the battery necessary for these two things, I'll happily forgo a new form factor and LTE.
Rating: 22 Votes
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Vasilioskn
26 months ago
No way will they do round. EVery single app would have to be redone and updated.
Rating: 16 Votes
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shyam09
26 months ago

Seriously apple you have so much money and u make the best products and I love iPhone but u guys need to stop keeping the same design for more than 1 year the iPhone 8 looks exactly like the 6

Rating: 15 Votes
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Phonzoxd
26 months ago
Circle. Please circle.
Rating: 14 Votes
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69Mustang
26 months ago
Round would be great. Two sizes like now. At least one of them (the larger) having a more masculine look would be even greater. Really don't care about LTE one way or the other.

edit: watch faces. let dev's create watch faces.
Rating: 13 Votes
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AndrewWx
26 months ago
The Third generation of an Apple product is almost always the one that people wanted in the first place.

I might be tempted.
Rating: 12 Votes
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576316
26 months ago
Yes please! Looking to upgrade my S0 and a re-design would be the perfect excuse. That and because I want swim proof and GPS.
Rating: 12 Votes
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mcfrazieriv
26 months ago

I'd like to see Apple create a hybrid automatic mechanical / digital Watch. Let the mechanical system provide whatever charging to the battery it can, which would then also push people to be more active with their Watch to generate the rotating charging function. I'd be far more apt to buy a Watch and put my fantastic 12+ year old Seiko Automatic away or pass it along to one of my boys.


You and Woz.

Rating: 10 Votes

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