Apple Watch Series 10 will get a form factor upgrade from Apple, according to the latest note published by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The upcoming smartwatch will come in 45mm/49mm sizes with bigger screens and a thinner design.
The current generation Apple Watch Series 9 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes respectively. Meanwhile, the more expensive Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in a 49mm size. Apple might introduce new case color options (black/dark) for the Apple Watch Ultra if "production yields meet." Other than that, its specifications are expected to remain "roughly the same," per the note.
Kuo added that Apple will include 3D-printed components in the Apple Watch later this year. BLT will be the supplier of the 3D-printed components for the Apple Watch. "Although there was no mass production last year, intensive testing over the past year has significantly improved the production efficiency of 3D printing," the analyst said.
BLT can benefit from the cost advantages of 3D printing and Kuo expects the company"s shipments to grow over the coming years. There is a possibility that the company will produce Apple Watch cases in the future which are "less difficult compared to the cases of other Apple products."
Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to arrive later this year and will be powered by watchOS 11 previewed earlier this month. There have been reports that Apple is also working on an "Apple Watch X" to celebrate ten years of its smartwatch. A concept design surfaced earlier this year tries to imagine how the Apple Watch X might look like.
The Cupertino giant has also started a trend of making its devices thinner. It has already trickled down the this year"s M4 iPad Pro which is now the thinnest Apple product to date but its retail packaging doesn"t include the iconic Apple Stickers anymore. It was reported over the weekend that future versions of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook Pro could launch with much lighter and thinner designs.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo