iPhone 8 release date to see launch of Apple Watch 3 that can connect to the internet

The new Watch will be coming quicker than the last one did

Andrew Griffin
Thursday 17 August 2017 15:44 BST
Comments
Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the Apple Watch during an Apple special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 9, 2015 in San Francisco, California
Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the Apple Watch during an Apple special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 9, 2015 in San Francisco, California (Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Apple's iPhone 8 release event could also see the launch of the third version of the Apple Watch.

The next generation of the wearable could also be revealed at the launch – likely to take place sometime in mid-September. It will include a range of new features, most prominently an internet radio chip that will allow it to work on its own, without the phone to which earlier versions must be tethered.

There are very few other clear rumours about the upcoming wearable. Some have suggested that it will undergo a significant redesign, though others claim it will look mostly the same; there have been some suggestions that it could include a camera, though it's not clear what that would be used for; it's almost certainly set to receive bumps to the battery and internal speed, both of which could enable new features.

A smaller upgrade would be in line with the difference between the first and second version of the Apple Watch. The first generation came in April 2015; the second one in September 2016, at an event that also featured the last version of the iPhone.

But it would be a quick timescale to launch a new version of the watch. Apple took a year-and-a-half to go between the first and second versions of the Watch, but launching a new one would mean there had been a gap of only a year.

Whatever happens, around the same time we'll certainly see the launch of watchOS 4, the latest version of the software for the Apple Watch. That too brings a range of new features, most prominently further integration with Siri that allows the Watch to understand what its user might want and give it to them.

Those products aren't going to be the last of the year. Apple has said that both the HomePod smart speaker and the beefy iMac Pro will be released in December. But presumably neither will be given their own event, meaning that as usual Apple's September launch will be the last big gathering of the year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in