The first version of Apple Watch was launched on April 24th last year. As we close in upon a year of its life cycle, speculations around its second installment are gaining momentum. The most commonly reported launch period is the month of March, and it seems right for many reasons.
Why The March Timeframe Adds Up
1. Apple’s Product Launch Cycle: With very few exceptions, Apple has followed a yearly upgrade cycle for all its products. iPhones are released in September, iPads in October, Macs in June, and so on and so forth. That’s why it’s very reasonable to expect Apple Watch 2 to be announced in March and made available for sale in early April.
2. Stock Clearance Sales: Many Retailers in the US are offering heavy discounts on Apple Watch 1. Best Buy is leading the charge with a massive $100 price drop across the board! Other big outlets like Target and B&H are also offering substantive discounts.
It could be argued that this price drop is to give Apple Watch a competitive edge over Android Wear; or, it could be a price correction strategy for an overpriced product. However, the most likely explanation is that these are clearance sales to dispose off inventory before a new version is launched.
Please note that currently there are no discounts on Apple Watch in India. This is primarily because it came to India just three months back.
3. March Event: Apple’s March events are usually not as hyped as their September events. However, this year, there seems to be a lot of chatter surrounding this one. The new iPad Air 3 and the iPhone 6C certainly take centre stage, but Apple Watch 2 also ranks high on the expectation list.
4. Watch OS 2.0: Apple recently announced that the new WatchOS 2.0 is adding the ability to sync more than one Watch to an iPhone. At first glance, it looks just like a regular feature upgrade. However, it has deeper implications.
For starters, it allows people who already own the current Apple Watch to buy the new model having to get another iPhone to use them both! That’s Apple ensuring their existing watch users are not left out of the market for the next instalment.
Secondly, developers love to get their hands on multiple devices for testing. This new feature lets them test out on more than one Watch from a single iPhone. The fact that Apple has made this feature available this early indicates that a new Watch is soon to follow.
5. Trial Production: iClarified reported that Quanta is all set to start the trial production of Apple Watch 2 very soon. Given that trial production only takes place after the product is finalised, the chances of Apple Watch 2 being ready for March launch are very high.
Just Can’t wait!
Yes, we know! We can’t wait either. But let’s keep our enthusiasm in check. Even if Apple Watch 2 does get released in March, it could be months before we’re able to get our hands on it. Remember, India received the current model just 3 months back. The possibility of getting the next version within 6 months is as slim as the Apple Watch itself!
