It’s one of those “bad news/good news” situations. The late-2023 Apple Watches won’t offer much in the way of hardware upgrades, but the latest report says that the year’s watchOS 10 update is coming to many existing Apple Watch models at no extra cost, with “big improvements including an updated interface.”
The highly skilled and respected leaker and Apple analyst Mark Gurman makes his prediction in the April 16 edition of his Power On Newsletter, along with several predictions related to the reality headset, the next versions of iOS and iPadOS, new MacBooks and other upcoming releases. The report covers so much ground, of course, that there’s little room for details about Apple’s new smartwatch operating system, although what it does reveal is enough to entice Apple Watch owners around the world.
“The watchOS update,” writes Gurman, “will tell you most of what you need to know about the Apple Watch in 2023.” This is because the hardware changes are expected to be minimal, so the OS update will be the focus.
It has been believed for some time that the Apple Watch Series 9, which could launch this fall, will be a relatively minor update. Gourmet himself He tweeted. The next significant hardware update is slated for 2024, which it said earlier this month would be “anything but big.” Last year saw the release of the Apple Watch Ultra, and the company will follow up with new devices more carefully next year.
But what does Apple have in store for us software-wise? An updated interface could mean anything, but the way Gurman talks about it makes it seem like a big change.
As we saw with iOS 7 in 2013, WatchOS did not make a sudden and radical change to the interface. That update, however, was less than universally enjoyed at the time, although it should be noted that the overall change was from skeuomorphic to more. Abstract elements, softened a bit over time, have since been accepted as a standard for mobile interface design. If watchOS 10’s interface is too different from its predecessors, Apple can expect pushback from users.
But it’s worth emphasizing that Gurman is calling it. Updated The interface is not new. Rather than a completely revamped design language, we can of course expect something less radical. Perhaps something along the lines of the quietly revolutionary dock that debuted in watchOS 3.
Keep up with the latest rumors by bookmarking our regularly updated guide to WWDC 2023.
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