Corroborating reports by Nikkei and Bloomberg suggest that we might not be seeing Apple’s next generation smartwatch, which is believed to be called the Series 7, anytime soon. Both publications say that the delay resulted from quality issues caused by the upcoming wearable’s new yet “complicated” design.
Nikkei, citing people familiar with the matter, wrote that production for the Apple Watch Series 7 had encountered “critical challenges in reaching satisfactory production performance.” Sources also apparently told both news outlets that assemblers are facing difficulties when putting together the smartwatch’s electronic modules, components, and displays due to the complexity of its design. Due to this, production for the Series 7 has been “temporarily halted” until Apple and its suppliers find a solution for the troubled manufacturing process before proceeding with the product’s eventual mass production.
It has been long rumoured that Apple is planning to debut its next generation smartwatches with a new design, with the aim of giving a more streamlined look across all of its products. A leak provided by Jon Prosser back in May this year suggests that the Series 7 will feature flat edges – a design introduced on last year’s iPhone 12 series, which is also rumoured to be carried over to next generation iPhones, iPads and even Mac devices that are slated to be released later in 2021.
Meanwhile, a separate report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also noted the Series 7’s new design, suggesting “a flatter display and edges” on the new smartwatch. Other than that, he claims that the upcoming product would feature slightly larger size options (41mm and 45mm), a faster processor, and a new “blood pressure measurement” feature. Gurman added that Apple would not be debuting any major upgrades for health tracking on its wearables “until at least next year.”
As seen with its previous launches, Apple tends to debut its new wearables in the month of September. However, this may no longer seem likely, provided that rumours of the Apple Watch Series 7’s delay are accurate. Should this be the case, Apple might consider launching the smartwatch alongside the next generation iPhone series in Fall 2021 instead.
