The Apple Watch 6 will be launched in September without much fanfare, despite it being tipped to deliver a major upgrade over the Apple Watch 5.
That’s according to reliable tech leaker Jon Prosser who tweeted an adjusted suite of Apple release dates. Prosser has the new Apple Watch and a new iPad set for a reveal on the week commencing September 7, despite claiming the iPhone 12 will be revealed in October. Apple typically announces its new smartphone and smartwatch together.
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It’s likely that the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic is the culprit behind such a shake-up, as the iPhone 12 was originally expected to arrive in September. Apple usually has its major iPhone event in the second week of September, so an Apple Watch reveal happening by the 7th would be a little earlier than usual for Apple's flagship wearable.
New, adjusted Apple dates!Apple Watch & iPad- Via press release- Week 37 w/c Sep 7iPhone 12 event- Week 42 w/c Oct 12iPhone 12 devices - Preorders week 42 w/c Oct 12- Shipping week 43 w/c Oct 19iPhone 12 Pro devices- Preorder and shipping in Nov (no exact date yet)August 12, 2020
Prosser claims the Apple Watch 6 will be announced through a press release. This would seem like an odd way to reveal such a major product, but Apple has taken a similar approach with this year's iPhone SE, iMac 27-inch and iPad Pro.
One of the biggest predicted changes to the Apple Watch 6 is the removal of the Digital Crown, a feature that has somewhat defined the controls of the Apple Watch since its inception. Instead, the Apple Watch 6 could have an optical sensor that responds to touch and gestures to navigate the smartwatch’s software. Such a sensor could help reduce the overall size of the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch 6 is also tipped to get a handful of health and wellness features such as a blood oxygen monitoring system, improved fall detection, and the ability to feedback health data to emergency services such as age, BMI, and heart rate. The smartwatch is also expected to have a system that can help monitor your mental health by detecting changes in your physical condition that might indicate stress or anxiety.
Other upgrades include improved performance, boosted water resistance and a better wireless networking system to allow the Apple Watch 6 to work more independently of an iPhone. Combined, all these features and upgrades could make the next Apple Watch a serious upgrade over its predecessor, and a worth rival to the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.