If everything goes as planned, Apple is set to hold a spring event in March to introduce the Apple Watch 2 along with some other new hardware and software goodies. That’s only about a year after the original Apple Watch went on sale, but roughly 18 months since the first-gen model was actually announced.
As a mostly satisfied Apple Watch 1 customer, March or April doesn’t strike me as being too soon for the Apple Watch 2. Personally, I’m excited to see if the next model can handle apps better with a needed speed boost and maybe lose a little overall thickness and display bezel.
But while I’m basically already lining up to buy the next Apple Watch, I probably won’t spend the extra $200 on a stainless steel model this time if it’s is going to be an annual product upgrade. And for most Apple Watch customers, buying a new model will probably be an every 2 or 3 year event if that.
Apple Watch has a lot of opportunity to get better over the next few years, though, just like the original iPhone advanced dramatically between iPhone 1 to iPhone 4. A proper Apple Watch Upgrade Program could easily encourage current owners to buy the latest hardware every year (everyone using the latest generation helps the overall product’s reputation) and encourage new customers to splurge on higher-priced models. There would be other benefits as well …
When Apple Watch was first shown off in September 2014, the idea of upgradable internals was widely suggested. If you buy a $10,000 to $17,000 gold Edition model, should it really be technologically obsolete in just a few short years? My guess is if you can reasonably afford one Apple Watch Edition then the next one probably won’t be a big deal either.
But it’s the environmental impact and prospect of wasted materials on all models that convinces me that some method of upgrading the S1 chip to the S2 chip and so on is a good idea. Despite Apple being a relatively good citizen to the planet, Apple letting even an Apple Store Genius tinker with the internals of the Apple Watch as if it’s an old Mac Pro being upgraded just doesn’t seem likely at this point.
An official Apple Watch Upgrade Program, however, could help here, and the company has already created an infrastructure for something like it with the iPhone Upgrade Program introduced last September.
Finance or lease a new Apple Watch every year, trade-in your old one to Apple and receive credit toward the new model, and put Apple in charge of an official market for very affordable, refurbished Apple Watches that don’t go to waste while responsibly recycling the bad parts.
You can even apply the concept of the Upgrade Program to any Apple product. My colleague Ben Lovejoy expressed interest in a potential version for the Mac, although with higher upgrade periods than 12 months, when I suggested an Apple Watch program. And I think it all lays the groundwork for a future Apple Car leasing program, something that’s already popular with other electric vehicles like Tesla and pricier traditional cars alike.
Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program is modelled similarly after what the major carriers started first, but it could even remove the financing angle for the Apple Watch and just make it a pure trade-in offer while still encouraging regular upgrades and incentivizing buying higher-end models.
What do you think? Would an official Apple Watch Upgrade Program encourage you to buy the latest version more often and possibly even a pricer model?
For Apple, selling more stainless steel models than aluminum models also means more opportunity for selling pricier second and third watch bands. Overall, I think the program is one worth investing in and something Apple is likely considering if not planning already. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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I actually wanted this service for the iphone, apple watch and ipad to be honest with you.
Apple does have an upgrade program for iPhones, and they have the recycler which gives you Store Credit to use to purchase the next model. Here’s a link. http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program
I know a lot of people that got an Apple Watch for the holidays –– I think they’d be really pissed if a new model came out just 4 months later. I personally hope they don’t update the Watch until at least next holiday season. The iPad is not updated every year and we don’t need a new Watch every year. Just improve watchOS.
Lame
“The iPad is not updated every year and we don’t need a new Watch every year.”
Except for the fact that other than 2015, it has been updated every year…
2010 – iPad
2011 – iPad 2
2012 – iPad with Retina Display
2012 – new iPad and iPad Mini
2013 – iPad Air and iPad Mini 2
2014 – iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3
2015 – iPad Mini 4
How is that not a yearly update?
Why should they be pissed? That watch at that point would have been out for a year!!! Apple releases updates on most of their hardware every year. Who says you have to buy a new Apple Watch every year? I really like mine. I don’t know what kind of updates the new one will even have. Would it even be worth it t upgrade, or like the iPhone upgrade every other year or maybe longer then phone cycles. It’s way to new of a product to know how it’ll go.
We need a new watch every year, just like any other tech, especially when it is first starting out, and especially a tech that has a vast expanse to fill with new sensors. The watch will be updated yearly, get used to it. Smart watches in general are expected to greatly increase in the coming years, and not releasing and innovating yearly in that space would be a horrible mistake. I’m hoping hey announce smart bands or some other smart wearables this year alongside the watch. I’m hoping they release compression shirt and leggings which are laden with biometric sensors, which are all feeding information to the watch, during your workouts, or general activities throughout the day.
Apple is investing heavily in health sensors and you will see the results of that over the next decade, and I can’t accurately describe how much that will change the world, but all I can say is, fundamentally. The Apple Watch is the beginning of a great influx of health in technology.
While I don’t necessarily agree that we “need” a new watch every year, a refresh every 18 months or 2 years certainly seems reasonable. What is important is not the frequency with which the new models appear, but that they have meaningful upgrades. ‘Thinner, lighter and faster’ just isn’t a compelling enough selling point to try and differentiate versions from within the same product line. In terms of hardware, it wasn’t until the iPad2 before camera’s were introduced, and then 2 models later the Lighting port, which was minuscule at best. What would really get peoples’ attention with the Apple Watch would be greater battery life, new hardware (camera, sensors, etc.), more autonomy from the iPhone, and improved application responsiveness. If history is any indication, you’re not going to see those types of changes with each new generation, which is why even the most loyal Apple customers tend to wait to upgrade every other generation or so, with the exception of the ‘Flagship’ iPhone…
Get ready to be disappointed.
What’s the problem of having a new version each year?
It’s not like V1 will stop working.
That’s unfortunate for them, but with every single product out in the market there are cases of people buying late into the lifecycle who then miss out on the latest release. Even if a company has a clause to allow free updates to purchases within a period of a new release, someone will miss out by a day.
Do you propose they don’t ever release an Apple Watch 2, just in case it upsets a few people that got what they paid for when they ordered the previous version a month earlier? May as well apply that to iPhones, iPads, Macd etc which all generally are on a 6 to 12 month refresh cycle.
The iPad is updated every year, all they did last go around is they came out with the iPad Pro 12 inch because it’s a new model and they delayed the iPad Pro 9.7 release because they simply have to alternate release dates. I think Apple has to stagger iPhone, iPad release dates for now on because of the various models they have. If they waited until just before Christmas to release new iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, they’d get crushed in the production lines. IT would be just simply too much crammed into a small window of time. Plus our wallets can’t afford to always upgrade everything at the same time. only the wealthy can afford that.
How about make the internals swappable. So the choice will be 1) buy new watch to get the new style and tech or 2) buy the internals to upgrade you existing shell. As years go buy and models physically change you can build a market for retro shells and even have 3rd party shells. This would be friendlier for the environment.
I do not see this happening ever from Apple. First of all, this means bulking up the the product to make it safe and easier to replace, something Apple has been against for the past several years now and it isn’t going to change. Secondly, it won’t work with the majority of the users who won’t be skilled enough to handle this properly, which means an automatic no no from Apple, who is targeting for the simple solutions.
And if the external requirements change? I’d prefer Apple not be hindered by the chassis of last years model. Hell, even the iPhone S releases that tend to look the same externally have components rejigged in such a manner that would prevent a swap out. Take last years models for instance, then needed a 0.2mm size adjustment to the externals, which for most humans is indistinguishable but it’s a complete deal breaker if you wanted to put the iPhone 6s components inside a. iPhone 6
It’s interesting you mention environmental concerns Zac, although I would go much further. The bienial or worse, annual upgrade cycle is, from an environmental perspective inexcusable. There is no logical reason why a piece of technology shouldn’t last for 5 years or more. Look at the TV market, no doubt to the disdain of TV manufacturers, TV owners have settled into upgrading very rarely. Phones and other small items should be the same.
With US carriers ditching 2year contracts I wonder if smartphones will continue the 2 year upgrade cycle or go to even one year with some of the installment plans. I’m not sure where all the phones go that get traded in after each new model is released. I don’t know how many go to foreign markets or are stripped of their components and recycled.
I still Apple should go to plain brown boxes and get rid of its bleached cardboard boxes for products. I’m sure all those white boxes are not great on the environment. With Apple offering its own installment patents now on the iPhone more people will be upgrading every year instead of 3-5 cycle people should be upgrading their phones.
The Apple Watch as it is now is an accessory to the iPhone and Does not and should not be updated every year or two. Thinner bezels or Faceime camera is not a viable reason to upgrade the device. The worst is Apple is releasing the Watch in new countries now and if they are releasing a new model for sale in April or May that is bad for customers in those new markets.
Uh, no. This is not an android watch, LOL. It won’t sit in someone’s sock drawer because it’s so freaking ugly that no one with any common sense would ever wear in the first place, let alone pass it on to anyone else. I have four people who have openly asked me to check with them if I upgrade–they want it, just don’t want to pay $200 for the original sport 42mm like I did. I know others who are ready to buy their first one, so more than four people at least would be interested in buying my old model. Or I could pretend to be rich and put it on my dog, LOL. There is no need to upgrade a watch. Upgrading hardware is a nearly useless PC approach. Hardly any cheap, garden variety PeeCees are ever ‘upgraded’ in anyway that a Mac could not, it’s just a crutch for their users. They have to have something to cling to…
LOL at thinking all products are. or should be, the same. The very word you used, “technology” is advancing exponentially. The TV market is exactly the same as everything else – from Plasmas to LCD to LED to OLED to 3D to 4K… you’re trying to tell me they don’t continually put out new products? Vat when something costs $5000 (as opposed to $500, like an iPhone or Watch), of course people won’t be able to upgrade yearly. There’s also no trade-in program for TVs like the Apple products, which discounts the new models significantly.
What an embarrassing sense of reality. A TV is extremely expensive, and large, and most importantly, is not significantly superior for years between upgrades. Like a car, it isn’t feasible or warranted to upgrade for many years. A phone or watch on the other hand? Absolutely! These are much cheaper devices that technology is greatly enhancing year to year, and most people don’t upgrade every year anyway. Just because they release a new one, continuing to innovate, doesn’t mean everyone buys it, most don’t, hence why there were 2 year contracts.
Upgrading frequently and the lifespan of a device are two different things. I upgrade yearly, but the phone isn’t stuck in a desk never to be seen again. It gets used by my partner or sold to someone else to use. The iPhone’s do last a long time and there are people out there still happily using a 4S or similar device because it fits their needs.
The comparison to a TV is a tad ridiculous. TV technology progresses at a much slower pace. Theyre in many ways a (generally) dumb appliance aimed to project an image from another device that has the smarts and processing. The tangible benefits to iodating a TV for most users just isn’t there unless they are getting a display of a different physical size, thus why people don’t upgrade them often.
Even if you do own a Smart TV, when the Smarts component begins to age customers can just connect a device that will replace the functionality moving forward at a much lower cost than buying a new TV.
I think perpetuating the notion that 1 year old tech is obsolete is a dangerous game friendo. Apple would basically be tarnishing their own reputation by doing that. One could argue in fact that their upgrade plan for the iphone is based solely upon the carriers dropping the two year contracts and subsidized iPhones. A iPhone is $650 to start and watches (at holiday season) are $250.
If anything I think most people will update their Apple Watches much like they do the iPad. About every 3 years. A lot of people won’t upgrade without a compelling reason to. That reason usually is because “it’s too slow.” Think iPhone/ipad/computer, that’s usually when *most people upgrade. Would it be interesting if they did? Sure, I wouldn’t go that route personally . It seems inherently wrong to lease a $250 dollar watch.
“A iPhone is $650 to start”
And with the trade-in program, $300 back for the newest model, so $350 to start. If you’re upgrading every year, then $350 is worth it for probably the most important device in many people’s lives.
Yep, you made my point. With that program it makes sense because at minimum it’s still a high dollar item, it’s at least 650 (for me it’s 750) with tax $825.
Most people this time around with the 350 (250) dollar model watch. A program like that won’t work for a watch. It didn’t make sense for iPods either
People don’t upgrade iPads because most people’s iPads sit at home, and they are used much less frequently than their iPhone. People don’t care about upgrades to the camera in an iPad, and they don’t see much reason to upgrade for a small increase in speed.
The iPhone on the other hand, people use all the time, they care about camera upgrades, they care more about the design changes due to the prestige of being seen with the latest version. As for smart watches? The same goes as the iPhone, because it’s a fashion piece since it is worn and seen by the public, and people will care about being seen with the latest, and they’ll care about increases in health sensors, which the watch has a huge opportunity to boast.
My guess is Apple will make some other wearables as accessories to the watch, which are they themselves laden with biometrical sensors, environmental sensors, and the like. Men’s and women’s compression clothing that will act as underwear essentially, and by being compressed to the skin, be able to track numerous things the watch itself, or bands, cannot. They’ll use the best most comfortable materials and it will be highly futurist clothing which is unseen and comfortable enough to be unnoticed in all day usage.
iPhone SE is half that, retail. Around $350 or less, full price. Of course its a smaller screen.
It’s called Ebay.
The thing with just selling and buying a new watch is, what about the bands? If you spent up to 500$ on a fancy band this generation, why buy the exact same thing again?
Keep the band??? You understand the bands will be compatible for at least 5 years, and possibly longer.
Yes, of course you can keep the band, I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise. But I wouldn’t sign up to buy a watch on ebay with no band…
eBay has become more dangerous for sellers than buyers at this point. I don’t recommend anyone selling anything on there.
The devil will be in pricing. Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program costs the same as buying a new iPhone every 2 years with Apple Care. For instance, the entry level iPhone 6s 16GB retails for $649 and $129 for AppleCare+ ($778 total). iPhone Upgrade Program for this iPhone costs $32.41/month or $388.92/year or $777.84 for 2 years.
Apple Watch Upgrade Program will likely start at $16.58/month for Apple Watch Sports 38mm ($349 + $49). Unless you must absolutely get a new watch every year, you are better off upgrading every 2 years and selling the old watch or give it away as a present.
Ideally, Apple should offer both Apple Watch Upgrade Program and processor upgrade for pricier Apple Watch models at $200-300.
I think this idea to have a lease program for the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, because these are devices that I could see people upgrading every year. However, I don’t think the leasing program will be good for the Apple Car, or Mac, because these are things that usually aren’t updated that frequently. I personally really like having owned my own car that I bought by myself since I was 18, I’m 22 now. Because I can always do things to my car because I own it, for example, I put in an after market stereo. I also still use my Macbook pro that I got in 2012. Laptops and cars are thigs taht a lot of people don’t upgrade that frequently, and I think it’s a much better option to purchase these items as oppose to leasing them.
Not sure if anyone knows this answer but, is it possible for them to replace the internals of the watch and keep the shell??? Speed boost by only upgrading the processors etc…say for $100…$149…
That’s exceedingly unlikely. There’s no easy way to open the case of the watch and, let’s be honest, it would be an incredibly un-Apple thing to do.
iPads are being updated every 3-4 years and is why Apple seems to be using an 18 month cycle on them instead of yearly like the iPhone. If Apple makes the bezels to much thinner then existing bands won’t work on new models.
There should be nothing holding this type of thing back. If watch2 has no discernible upgrades for input (taptic feedback nor digital crown upgrade), I don’t see why they couldn’t charge you 150-300 bucks for an s2 processor swap (parts + labor).
If watch2 has upgraded sensors, screen, waterproofing — that’s something you’ll have to live with not having as a hybrid watch1 body watch2 chip owner. And so it would go with watch2 screen, sensor package, watch 3 chip potentially after that.
I would hope they could pull this type of thing off. You come in with an appt at an apple retail store, they go back in the shop, make the change, show off some of the new speed, you go on your merry way.
Apple markets the Apple Watch as a companion device to the iPhone, and the watch indeed requires the iPhone for many of its features. So it might make sense to see Apple bring the upgrade pricing into an iPhone upgrade program. That wouldn’t necessarily mean that the two devices were upgraded simultaneously, since they will certainly be rolled out at different times, but one would be eligible for upgrade every year or two.
A post from John Gruber (Daring Fireball) stuck out in my memory. He drew attention to the Apple Watch page back then which had a quite major section detailing the S1 chip and how it’s all quite self contained. If I recall he didn’t speculate much, only wondering why that sort of image would exist if there wasn’t going to be an upgrade path.
Not sure if that’s still on the apple website or not but I think it would be incredibly worthwhile for both Apple and potential upgraders.
I think the sealed chip was more for waterproofing than for upgrading. I’ve had mine in the shower, saltwater, swimming pool – not one problem.
IF Apple were to go down this road, I feel the “Apple” way to implement this would be as follows: Apple Watch Upgrade Program for Apple Watch only, while offering heavy assistance to Watch Edition owners to upgrade internals or the entire Watch. Apple Watch Sport owners are the outliers – they will have to figure out how to finance a new Sport model. That’s how I think they would go about it.
The iPhone Upgrade Program came into existence largely because the wireless carriers are no longer subsidizing phones. Since most consumers are not savvy about the industry, Apple would have had a VERY difficult time messaging the full MSRP of the iPhone to consumers in the keynote presentation. On the flip side, they don’t have this problem of consumer expectations with any other product. So it doesn’t seem likely on the surface. However, it’s a good idea to firm-up existing customer loyalty and perhaps eliminate an obstacle in new customer acquisition.
It’s also because there are likely going to be fewer major changes in the coming years. In the iPhone 7S, I expect some sort of virtual reality stuff via the camera and additional environmental sensors on the back, but after that, the iPhone 8 will probably drop the home button, and reduce bezels massively, go to OLED, and then there will likely be not much more they can do to drastically change the experience. The phones will be blazing my fast, and innovation in the space will slow, whilst the biometrics in wearables will be flourishing. So it is ideal to get customers started on leasing plans which will get them on board to get a new iPhone each year, without thinking about the thought of purchasing that new iPhone, due to the lack of substantial features.
I like your enthusiasm – but I think Apple will curate technology the way they always do – with enormous restraint. After 9 years, the iPhone experience (including the Apple digital, retail, and support ecosystems) is leaps and bounds ahead of the pack. This is certainly true for the typical consumer given the often touted customer satisfaction ratings. This trust in the Apple/iPhone brand is what brings people back to upgrade repeatedly. That, and iMessage lock-in. ;-)
You people kill me. Spent all this money on a first gen watch and you now want Apple to throw a special program because they didn’t make it right in the first place. What ever happened to don’t by a product because it still needs work? All the early reviews pointed to the shortcomings. Did people just ignore what was said on the internet?
Now if you bought the watch and you love it that rant was not for you. You will probably get years of use out of it. But don’t complain if you are one of those people that upgrade every year. I upgrade my phones every year but I don’t bitch and moan about it. And I will be looking forward to Gen 2 Apple Watch only if Apple improves on the experience greatly. I’m not going to give Apple my money just because they’re Apple. They need to work for it or else it’s Gen 3. Not buying product is a powerful statement to a company. It’s the very reason why I won’t by a Samsung phone until they fix their software updating policy. You people need to speak with your wallets. Not figure out a way for them to take more money from you.
It’s like that stupid petition on Facebook of people that petition Apple to not drop the audio jack in a future iPhone. Just don’t buy an iPhone if you don’t like the features it does or does not offer. There’ll be plenty phones that will ship with audio jacks. Just vote with your wallet.
Apple would much rather have their beta hardware wasting away in our drawers than theirs.
There really is no incentive for Apple to do this because the only people who bought Watches are Apple Fans who pay before they think. (And I say that as a guilty person because I have a stainless steel model that has primarily been used for reading text and telling time)
The key difference with the watch over all other Apple products is that pricing is based ONLY on the material construction of the case (and band). That changes the game, and opens the door for Apple to treat this product with an upgrade path unlike anything else in the product line. Not that they will, but that is one reason a consumer could be pissed if Apple makes you pay a premium for the case that could last for 25 years with no way to leverage that part of the investment.
Sapphire crystal too
Apple watch equals a waste of Money.
Unfortunately I don’t think apple will go down the path of being able to upgrade components – but they will instead offer a recycling scheme.
I think for things like the gold editions at least, they will probably give you the value of the gold (at the time of upgrading) as a money off voucher towards another apple watch of equal of more value to the ‘voucher’.
I think with the steel and sports edition, it will be a matter of recycling them for free at an apple store etc – or selling to a second hand store or auction site :-(
Upgrade program. The Apple machine wants you to buy a new device every year. Will not be economical to do. That’s the price you pay for being an early adopter. Sell on eBay.
If they go larger, with like 50mm display, I’ll be selling mine and picking up a new one. Otherwise, no matter what features, I can’t imagine spending the money on a upgrade. The current model serves the entire purpose of such a device for me, and the only desire I have (beyond it being much much faster to load anything), is a larger watch face.
For men’s watches, 42mm is still very small.
That’s crazy haha. Biometric sensors are the only reason the device should exist. The other features aren’t worthy of it having been made, honestly. Although they are good to have.
Would be nice if all the old watch bands still work in the Apple Watch 2. That’s all I would worry about, with having one of every type of band so far.
Dang! I didn’t see the connection w/ the car leasing program. This is what Apple does: they plan for tow size iPhones years later and slowly start introducing us to the Ida via the 5s & 5c program. I think folks would love this program for majority of Apple products. And this points to the shared economy as the future too.
Heck yeah they need and will introduce a upgrade program.
Apple sometimes gets some hints from what already exists and I think culture was one of them, not aesthetic things. Classic watches users can owe and use them for generations if they keep maintenance through shipping it to watch company. The work are polishing, cleaning, or pouring oil but what about apple’s using this system? That would be nice we can upgrade inner components for 100-ish /year. And I guess that’s the reason why apple set super high price for this small device.
I’d emphasize that my decision depends mainly on cost. Apple products tend to last a long time, and I got the stainless steel case (and sapphire face) so it would last. I imagine that the Apple Watch 1 will run and be supported five years from now. I don’t see any compelling update — current battery life is fine for me, current feature do what I bought it to do, etc — and things like faster WiFi or a camera don’t really do anything for me. (Have to admit a significantly stepped up medical capability — blood oxygen levels, blood glucose levels, etc — would tempt me sorely.)
So whatever upgrade option comes along, it would have to be inexpensive or very compelling for me to bite. My current thought is I’ll sit out the Apple Watch 2 entirely, and perhaps get an Apple Watch 3. Basically, what I’ve done with iPhones. Though most of the time, every-other iPhone update has been fairly compelling, so I could see waiting for an Apple Watch 4. Or it could be like my iPad: I got an iPad 1 and it served me well until the fourth or fifth generation, when I upgraded.
I had imagined that Apple might offer an in-case upgrade, since it is jewelry and there’s a certain comfort level you gain over time. Drop off your Apple Watch 1, and get the guts replaced with Apple Watch 2 Classic guts. Same band (you’d keep the band when you dropped it off), same case. Perhaps fatter than the actual Apple Watch 2, but hey, maybe with a larger battery thrown in. The form factor’s fine with me.
I’ll probably just sell it online. I’m so down for a titanium version.
Do not buy a watch to upgrade to an iPhone … watch is watch.
Upgrade programs are great for Apple because they don’t even have to innovate as much. In their mind if people are paying $20 bucks a month for a watch they’ll most likely upgrade if there’s no increased cost. Seems to me like Apple would want upgrade programs on every product they offer.
The iPhone is really the only device that retains its value so well, hence the reason it’s the only option for an “upgrade program.” Everyone on the planet (more or less) has a phone, while as tablets and wearables are still a relatively small market compared to the cell phone.
I really don’t see this happening. I think it’s a testament to see that the $350 Apple Watch Sport could be had new for $200 in some places, driving the resale market down incredibly.
i would do this in a heart beat as long it was just the watch itself and I I could keep the band.