Apple Watch 7 may be very tough to buy at launch — here's why

Apple Watch 7 leak
(Image credit: Jon Prosser & Ian Zelbo)

If you want an Apple Watch 7 this fall, you better be quick on the draw when Apple's new smartwatch goes on sale. A leading Apple watcher expects the new wearable to be available in limited quantities initially, as Apple works through Apple Watch 7 production issues.

That's the word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who earlier reported on the production problems Apple had run into with its new watch. On the bright side, Gurman says the Apple Watch 7 will make its debut alongside the iPhone at Apple's Sept. 14 product event, instead of being pushed back to a separate event later this fall.

But by making the watch available sooner rather than later, Apple will have less supply on hand than in recent watches. That means a lot of would-be Apple Watch 7 owners will go empty-handed while Apple looks to ramp up supply. It could also mean that other Apple Watch 7 models will ship at a later date.

Initial reports of the Apple Watch 7 production delays pinned the issue on the smartwatch's new look. Reportedly, the Apple Watch 7 will come in larger sizes — 45mm and 41mm, up from 44mm and 40mm — with a new flat-edged design. Reports claim that the factories producing the new watches have struggled to build the Apple Watch 7 in big enough volumes.

The new design will likely be the highlight of the Apple Watch 7, which is also in line to get a new chip powering the watch. Many of the health features that Apple is interested in adding to its wearable lineup, such as blood pressure monitoring, aren't expected until future Apple Watch releases, starting in 2022. In his report, Gurman confirms that "this year won’t be about health upgrades" for the Apple Watch.

With Apple now setting the date for what figures to be the first of several product launches this fall, we only have to wait until Sept. 14 for the Apple Watch 7 release details to come into sharper view. Here's hoping Apple has a watch to show off next week, along with details on just how easy it will be to track down a model for yourself.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.