watchOS 10 will introduce an all-new system of widgets for interacting with the Apple Watch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that widgets will become a "central part" of the Apple Watch's interface with watchOS 10. He compared the new system to Glances, the widgets interface that launched on the original Apple Watch before being scrapped within a few years, and the style of widgets that iOS 14 brought to the iPhone.
The new interface will apparently be "reminiscent" of the Siri watch face that was introduced in watchOS 4, but as an overlay for any Apple Watch face. "It's also similar to widget stacks, a feature in iOS and iPadOS that lets users pile many widgets into one and scroll through them," Gurman added.
The plan is to let users scroll through a series of different widgets — for activity tracking, weather, stock tickers, calendar appointments and more — rather than having them launch apps.
Apple is also apparently testing changes to the functions performed by the Apple Watch's buttons. For example, a press of the Digital Crown may now launch the new widgets view, rather than navigate to the home screen.
Gurman believes that the move is an admission that an iPhone-like app experience "doesn't always make sense on a watch" since "Apple Watch apps have barely caught on." Due to being a radical departure from the app-centric experience existing Apple Watch users are used to, Apple may make the new interface optional.
The changes are part of what Gurman claims will be one of the Apple Watch's biggest software updates since its introduction and the most significant change to the Apple Watch this year, as only minor hardware updates are expected to be unveiled later this year.
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...
I'd just be happy if Apple would open up a watch face store where devs could submit their own watch faces based on some parameters that Apple set. There are so many cool faces that would come out of that. Maybe one day.
The Siri watch face introduced in watchOS 4.
