Reports indicate that the Apple Watch 3 will be unveiled in fall. This is based on an earnings guidance provided by Quanta Computer, the Apple supplier contracted to manufacture Apple Watch 3, which indicated that the supplier is expecting strong revenues in this year’s second half.
“Quanta Computer is expected to enjoy a strong second-half 2017 thanks to rising demand for notebooks, growing server sales and the release of the next-generation Apple Watch,” wrote DigiTimes citing information that appeared in Economic Daily News, a Chinese publication.
Quanta Computer
This is not the first time that Quanta Computer will be given the responsibility of manufacturing the Apple Watch as it also produced the first Apple Watch as well as Apple Watch 2. However, the responsibility of manufacturing the older versions of the Apple Watch will be shifted to Compal Electronics. This is an indication that the older versions will continue to be shipped even after the Apple Watch 3 hits stores. While the prices of these older versions of the Apple smartwatch start at $269, there is no information on how much the Apple Watch 3 will cost.
Going by tradition, where new versions of the Apple smartwatch are usually released alongside new versions of the iPhone, the report could be an indication that the next iPhone will also be unveiled in fall. Last year for instance the Apple Watch 2 was launched at the same time as the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 7.
LTE capabilities
Earlier in the year Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities, as well as Christopher Rolland, an analyst at SIG, had in client notes said that the upcoming new model of the Apple Watch will bear LTE capabilities. This will make it possible for the smartwatch to operate independently of the iPhone meaning users will be able to stream music, send iMessages and make phone calls without connecting the Apple Watch to their Apple smartphone. LTE capabilities will, however, mean that the smartwatch will require a carrier plan of its own.
With regards to the look and feel of the upcoming Apple Watch, the design is expected to remain the same as has been the case with the first Apple Watch and Apple Watch 2.
