Apple watches are on display at an Apple Store. (Photo : Getty Images/ChinaFotoPress )
Contrary to recent reports hinting the launch of a slender and lighter Apple Watch 2 at the ensuing June Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC), a new edition of the smartwatch is unlikely this year. Instead, the Cupertino tech titan plans to offer an "S" upgrade of the Apple Watch with enhanced internals, but no significant design changes.
According to a latest research paper issued by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities who has correctly predicted Apple product launches in the past, the next Apple Watch version is likely to adopt a cycle similar to that of the iPhone. In fact, fans can expect a number of under-the-hood modifications in 2016 Apple Watch, but will need to wait till 2017 for a new and redesigned Apple Watch, MacRumors quoted Kuo.
Incidentally, the recent research note from KGI Securities directly contradicts a report released by a lesser reliable Apple analyst Brian White last Friday. In his report, White predicted the Apple Watch 2 will be launch in the next two to three months, and the new edition will come in a 40 percent thinner case. He further forecast that Apple would announce the launch of its new smartwatch at the WWDC and the device will be in stores some weeks later.
On the other hand, Kuo is of the view that the Apple Watch 2 is likely to go into mass production sometime in 2016 Q3, and will possibly be launched alongside the purported iPhone 7 this fall.
The KGI Securities analyst is of the view that the one of the main reasons behind the declining sales of Apple Watch during 2016 is its design. Describing the first-gen Apple Watch as an "immature wearable device," Kuo stated that the device's dependency on iPhone, absence of some key features, lack of any killer app and relatively low battery life are the other reasons for the decline in the device's sale.
However, Kuo did not suggest any detail regarding the "improved" internal components of the second-gen Apple Watch. He simply predicted that a total of 7.5 million units of the first-gen Apple Watch will be shipped during 2016. According to Kuo, just 10.6 million units of Apple Watch were shipped throughout 2015, Apple Insider reported.
While Kuo's prediction falls short of market consensus, Apple has refused to disclose the shipment figures for its wearable device. The company just stated that the sales of the device have seen a growth in every quarter since it was launched in 2015 spring.
Watch the video on "Apple Watch - a guided tour" below:
