Last year, it was reported that Apple was working on the next-gen Watch SE, which would be the company's successor to the Apple Watch SE launched in 2022. Notably, Apple was rumored to have ditched aluminum in favor of plastic. This material change was purportedly aimed at keeping the cost down.
Later, it came to light that Apple was not only considering a change in Watch SE's material but was also exploring a different target market for it. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested that the plastic Apple Watch SE will be launched as a kids' watch, and marketed as an alternative to smartphones for young ones.
However, reports emerged last year in September about Apple running into "cost and quality" challenges with the plastic design while the Watch SE was still in the works. Now, a fresh report by Gurman suggests that the Watch SE's design issue has come back to haunt Apple again. Gurman noted that the plastic Apple Watch SE is "in serious jeopardy."
In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman stated, "The redesigned, plastic Apple Watch SE I’ve written about is also in serious jeopardy. The design team doesn’t like the look, and the operations team is finding it difficult to make the casing materially cheaper than the current aluminum chassis."
This is the first time in a while that new information about the plastic Apple Watch SE has surfaced. But, based on the latest details, things don't look good for the smartwatch. Apple launched the first generation Watch SE over two years ago, and that watch didn't have much to offer for the price it was launched. While a refresh is due, it remains to be seen how Apple tackles the design issue of the plastic Watch SE.
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