Apple Wanted To Put Cellular Chip in Next-Generation Apple Watch, But Has Hit Roadblocks

Apple had aims of making the next-generation Apple Watch fully iPhone independant but has hit some roadblocks, according to Bloomberg.

While Apple still plans to announce the next-generation Apple Watch this coming Fall, perhaps around the same time as the iPhone 7, it appears that the Watch won’t come with an independent data connection, something many of us were hoping for.

Instead, the next-generation Watch will include integrated GPS chip, allowing for much better tracking of location, a feature that many athletes will come to appreciate.

Why no cellular chip? Well according to Bloomberg, battery life is a major concern:

During the discussions, Apple executives expressed concern that the cellular models may not be ready for release this year and that the feature may be pushed back to a later generation, according to the people. Apple warned that, even on an aggressive schedule, the earliest possible shipment time-frame for cellular models would have been this December, one of the people said.

The source of the delay is that current cellular chips consume too much battery life, reducing the product’s effectiveness and limiting user appeal, according to three of the people. Apple has begun studying lower-power cellular data chips for future smartwatch generations.

Makes sense too. Having to last all day is an absolute must for anyone wearing one of these things. If adding a cellular chip reduces the battery life by even 20 percent, Apple has to think about if it makes sense at this stage.

Which makes me wonder what else Apple is going to tout about the next Apple Watch. Rumors suggest that it will look the same, but we’ve heard that there could be a FaceTime camera built-in along with an always-on display. If those two features do make it to this year’s Watch, will it be enough to get people to buy it? It’s hard to say.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see when Apple has in store. Luckily we’re only a few weeks away from finding out.