Apple is expected to launch its upcoming Apple Watch 2 at a press event in September. The new smartwatch won't gain cellular connectivity, but will include GPS for fitness features.
The April 2015 release of the Apple Watch was widely viewed as one of Apple's biggest stumbles when launching a new device in a new category. Almost immediately after the company opened its online store to begin accepting preorders for the smartwatch, customers were greeted with out of stock messages on most models and many customers who were able to secure a device received an expected ship date as late as June.
It's been about 15 months since the first generation Apple Watch was released and the company is preparing to take the wraps off of its successor, the Apple Watch 2. The smartwatch is expected to be unveiled alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
A new report from Bloomberg claims that Apple has planned on including a cellular radio inside the Apple Watch 2, which would allow the device to work without requiring an iPhone for connectivity.
"Apple had been in talks this year with mobile phone carriers in the U.S. and Europe to add cellular connectivity to the watch, according to people familiar with the talks. A cellular chip would have theoretically allowed the product to download sports score alerts, email and mapping information while out of an iPhone's reach.
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."
While the Apple Watch 2 won't include cellular connectivity, the report notes it will ship with a GPS chip that will reportedly allow for improved health and fitness tracking capabilities, and more precise navigation.
The Apple Watch 2 is expected to feature the same design as the current Apple Watch. The smartwatch will reportedly receive internal upgrades in the form of a faster processor, higher capacity battery, and improved waterproof case. It may run the upcoming watchOS 3, which will also be released in September for the first generation Apple Watch.
The new OS is a major upgrade and includes new features like a dedicated Dock to store your favorite apps, new health and fitness capabilities, and applications launch instantly, according to Apple.
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