Don't expect to be able to use your next Apple Watch independently from your iPhone.
Apple is running into serious difficulties in its attempts to add cellular support to its next-generation wearable, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a reporter with an extremely good track record on news regarding future Apple products.
The problem? Battery life.
Apple reportedly wants to add a cellular chip, like the one found in phones, to the Apple Watch. Existing Apple Watches must be tethered to a smartphone to access most of their functions, limiting the product's usefulness.
Incorporating a cellular chip would give Apple Watch customers much more freedom in how they use the device. A user could wear the watch on a run and make use of its full functionality without having to carry their iPhone, for example.
But Gurman reports that the cellular chip is too demanding on battery life, already a pain point for the Apple Watch. Executives have reportedly expressed concerns that an Apple Watch that incorporates cellular tech in a satisfactory way won't be ready in time for a planned fall launch; December is the earliest possible time frame for shipments.
Apple is rumoured to be making other sacrifices for battery life in the next Apple Watch. Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the next-generation model will be just as chunky as the current device, with Apple deciding to improve the battery rather than slim down the device's bulbous design.
Battery life has been a major bugbear for users of the Apple Watch, with apps restricted to save battery and charging required every night.
The original Apple Watch launched more than a year ago, back in April 2015. It's pretty comprehensively dominating the wearable market, but it isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Smartwatches remain a niche market, and Apple doesn't break out sales figures — a sign they are not spectacular. One analyst believes they dropped 40% from Apple's first and second quarters this year.
Both Gurman and Kuo report that the next Apple Watch will be getting a GPS sensor for the first time in a bid to improve its location services.
Don't expect Apple to confirm any of this, however: Apple never comments on unannounced products.