Rumor: 2016 Apple Watch Will Be An 'S' upgrade, Major Design Changes To Come In 2017

According to the well-sourced Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, this years Apple Watch is more likely to be an “S” upgrade with “spec improvements” and very little form factor design changes.

Those looking for a thinner, more sleeker version will apparently have to wait until 2017, when it is expected the company will unveil an all-new design according to Kuo. The claims goes counter to the rumor from analyst Brian White who claimed that this years Apple Watch would debut at WWDC and would be somewhere between 20-40% thinner.

Kuo also believes that this upgrade means that sales will decline in 2016, citing an “immature” market. Ouch.

Kuo believes Apple sold about 10.6 million Apple Watches in 2015 and believes Apple will only sell 7.5 million Apple Watches this year.

I have to say, I hope that whatever Apple does it feels substantial, particularly from a performance point of view. Right now the Apple Watch, while great, still feels like its lagging behind in performance. An “S” upgrade would obviously make things faster and perform better which I think is far more important than making it thinner at the moment. Do I want a thinner product? Yes, but if I had to pick between better UI and performance and new design, I’d pick the former.

I also think that Apple will bring smart bands this year, something that would make the Apple Watch 2 more appealing to a lot of people.

We’re only a few months away from WWDC, so we’ll find out if any of this is true.