Fresh leaks about the Apple Watch Series 7, the Cupertino firm’s next-generation smartwatch expected to be announced later this year, suggest improvements both inside and out, though some of the earlier rumors of hardware improvements could have been pushed back on the roadmap. Since its original announcement as an accompaniment to the iPhone, the Apple Watch has progressively doubled-down on its fitness and health tracking features, but tech delays may have derailed plans to continue that with the 2021 Apple Watch.
Meanwhile, the well-rumored blood-sugar sensor – which could be used for vital tracking by diabetics, as well as those with specific fitness goals, without having to take an actual blood sample – is also unlikely to be in this year’s Apple Watch, or indeed next year’s either. That, the insiders say, is not likely to be ready for a commercial debut “for several more years,” according to Bloomberg.
As for what this year’s upgrade will include, there we can apparently expect display and connectivity changes, along with some aesthetic updates. Fitting with earlier leaks, the new Apple Watch is said to have a tweaked design and a new display, with a panel lamination technology that brings the panel itself closer to the cover glass for improvements in visibility and clarity. The new screen is also said to have thinner bezels.
Where that leaves some of the previous Apple Watch rumors for 2021 remains to be seen, but the suggestion is that Apple has pushed some of its planned updates further down the schedule. One early report had suggested that an Apple Watch “Explorer Edition” was in the pipeline for as early as late-2021, with a more rugged case to suit those doing outdoor activities. That, now, is unlikely to arrive until 2022, it’s suggested.