Report: Apple Watch 2 Will Not Likely See A March Debut

A rumor last December suggested that Apple had plans to debut the next-generation Apple Watch sometime in March with improvements, but a report today from TechCrunch suggests that the Apple Watch 2 will not likely be coming so early, but perhaps later in the year.

Citing a few sources, TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino says that while new design partnerships and accessories are possible for March, a true second-generation Apple Watch is not expected. Panzarino does say that a March event is possible, but that it would likely be for a 4-inch iPhone “6C” and perhaps some other products such as new Macs.

Several things that I’ve heard (from several sources) indicate to me that we won’t see a new hardware model of the Apple Watch in March. Design partnerships, accessories, that kind of thing maybe but not a “Watch 2.0″ with a bunch of new hardware features like a camera. I could be wrong, of course, but I’ve heard enough to put it out there.

Pazarino also says that his sources have told him that supply chain checks have no indicated that a second-generation Apple Watch is underway. He also says that there has been no “major action” in the software development side that would suggest that a new Apple Watch would be hitting in a few months.

As with anything related to Apple hardware announcements, the tea leaves are hard to read and the companies plans can change (the advantage of never publicly announcing hardware). But as of now, March seems like it’s a bit too early to count on Watch 2.0.

Keep in mind that the Apple Watch has not officially been out for a full year yet, despite it’s introduction in October 2014. If the Apple Watch 2 were to debut alongside the iPhone 7, that would give it an upgrade cycle of around 18 months, longer than many popular Apple products sans the Apple TV.

There have also been no leaks of the Apple Watch 2, which may suggest that Panzarino’s report is true. That said, rumors have suggested that production for the next-generation Apple Watch is set to start sometime later this month. It should also be noted that Mark Gurman, who reported on the March Apple Watch 2 event, also said that plans could change.

To be honest, if Panzarino is right, I find it odd that there has been “no major action” on watchOS as it is without question one of the biggest problems with the Apple Watch itself. While the Watch may be selling well, many of us who use it feel that the current product is severely underpowered and under developed. If Apple hasn’t been pushing development of both the hardware and software, that’s a bit concerning.

That said, if Apple does plan to debut an Apple Watch 2 this year, and we’ve heard they are, it’s likely to be a pretty significant upgrade. I guess time will tell (pun intended).