Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch Series 2 that will cost $369 with pre-orders starting on Sept. 9, and sales start the following week. (Photo : Getty Images/ Stephen Lam)
The Apple Watch Series 2 has finally been revealed. Apple unveiled this new second-generation smart watch at an event held in California. The Apple Watch Series 2 is tagged to cost $369 only with pre-orders starting on Sept. 9, and sales start the following week.
It has been almost two years since the first Apple Watch was released, and within that time, the wearable's market has drastically changed.
However, according to Tech Radar, what cannot be denied is that Tim Cook's crew always make the best-selling smart watch by some distance, and the team has refined that in some key areas for the Apple Watch Series 2.
Initially, Apple had promised that its Watch would continue to function well just like a 'normal' watch for a number of years, though there were instantly some reservations about its limitations.
In the past two years, users have seen smart watches with three- to four-day battery life emerge and at the same time, packing in GPS connectivity, a whole host of apps and advanced fitness tracking too, Apple needed to step up.
Fortunately, with the new Apples' device, there are a raft of new features that will make it much more attractive and exciting to potential smart watch wearers. Also, Apple has also partnered with Nike to give a dedicated running variant of the watch, although it only brings an app and a new strap.
According to Tech Buffalo, Apple Watch Series 2 offers a few major advancement, with one big improvement been its integrated GPS, which will connect to satellites instantly. With this, such smart watch will be able to track a users' location even without a synced smart watch. The company is also releasing the GPS to developers so they can use it for third-party apps.
The Apple Watch Series 2 is also water-resistant so one can wear it while swimming. Apple says it had to totally redesign the device to keep it safe from water. The built-in speaker can even eject water once a user is done swimming.
The smart watch has a display that is twice as bright as the original at 1000 nits. It also come with a faster dual-core S2 processor. Apple did not say how any of this will affect the battery life, which is likely a major concern for anyone who will be using the first Apple Watch.
The design of the Apple Watch Series 2 has not encountered too much evolvement from the original, with the same square frame encompassing the glass screen similar with the one on the first Apple Watch.
Apple was notoriously secretive about its screen on the first Apple Watch, and with the same 38mm and 42mm sizes on offer this time around, things have not changed.
In addition, Apple is upgrading the original Watch with a new S2 processor and rebranding it as the Series 1.
In terms of cost, the Apple Watch 2 price has been set at something similar to previous years, with the base Watch model costing $369 (about AU$480, £275). The original Apple Watch, now called the Apple Watch Series 1, will cost $269 (about AU$350, £200).
There is also a new ceramic version, and that is going to set any user back $1249 from the start (which is an unfair £1249 in the UK and AU$1799) - it is a beautiful model, but not one that is worth that amount of money.
The Apple Watch Series 2 - thankfully - will not be subjected to the same kind of delay users had to endure in 2014 - so instead of waiting months, they will be able to get their hands on one of these from Sept. 16, the same day the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus go on sale, Phone Arena reported.
The big changes in the Apple Watch 2 are on the fitness side, where GPS being on board has enabled it to do more autonomously from the iPhone. Apple's got some interesting changes here, with the water resistance the main change.
Watch Apple Watch 2 hands on video here:
