Well-connected supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the 2024 Apple Watch is “unlikely” to offer “significant innovative experiences.”
In a post on Medium today, Kuo said the Apple Watch will not receive a rumored micro-LED display or blood glucose monitoring in 2024. He says these features are at least two years away from being ready for prime time.
Kuo’s remarks don’t exactly jibe with earlier comments from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said that a significantly overhauled “Apple Watch X” would launch in either 2024 or 2025, to mark the tenth anniversary of the device, which was unveiled in September 2014 and hit store shelves in April 2015.
Gurman says Apple is working on a thinner casing for the Apple Watch X, as well as working on different mechanisms for attaching bands to the device’s casing, which has remained the same since the device’s introduction, allowing bands to be compatible throughout all of the different generations of the Apple Watch.
Gurman says his sources tell him that the existing band system takes up a large amount of space that could be better put to use to allow for bigger batteries or other internal components. Apple is said to be mulling over a magnetic band attachment system, but it is currently unclear whether it will be ready for the Apple Watch X model.
The Apple Watch X could also introduce the use of microLED display technology for the Apple Watch X, in place of existing OLED screens. The anniversary model may also be the first Apple Watch to boast blood pressure monitoring.
Kuo also added that Apple Watch shipments are expected to drop to 36-38 million units in 2023, a decline of approximately 15% on a year-over-year basis.
However, Kuo also said that the Apple Watch’s integration with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset could “create an unparalleled and innovative health management experience” that will boost shipments.
