Review 196: 18.07.2021 at 05:00 pm
We are now less than 2 months away from Appleâs annual September event where they basically always show off a brand new Apple Watch watch model, and this year, weâre expecting the Series 7.
And based on a lot of the rumors that have been going around for months now, there are some pretty high expectations, even from myself, since Iâve been thinking of upgrading my wifeâs Series 4 Apple Watch to the new Series 7 coming in just 3 months.
But unfortunately, we just got a new report from a very reliable leaker  which shows the dire reality of how boring this yearâs Apple Watch could be, so before I get  into his report and the other 2 big reasons why I DONâT think you should for this upcoming Watch, I wanna go through some of the previous leaks and rumors that were giving us such high expectations.
But before we jump into those leaks make sure you’re bringing your coffe, we would greatly appreciate it if you bring it!
Almost two years ago, the Economic Daily News reported that Apple is gonna be bringing a brand new microLED display to the Apple Watch as soon as 2020, and obviously that didn’t happen.
Bloomberg actually said the same thing over 3 years ago, but now that weâre in this landscape of chip supply shortages, with mini-LED chip production  struggling to keep up, it doesnât seem like micro-LED will be ready for this year.
Now of course, micro-LED has been Appleâs end-goal for the Apple Watch because itâs supposed to make it thinner and lighter than before, but as youâll see in the brand new report that we just got, it doesnât seem like itâs coming this year.
Over a year ago, the Verified claimed that the Series 7 launching in 2021 would feature a Touch ID sensor that would be used to authenticate purchases and everything else, and that might actually happen because weâve been seeing a lot of rumors of the iPhone 13 getting an under-display Touch ID sensor, so it would match up perfectly.
And whatâs really interesting is that a few months ago, a new patent granted to Apple showed a Touch ID sensor built into the side button, which actually looks very similar to the new Touch ID power button on the iPad Air 4, so that might make a lot of sense for Apple to do.
And apparently, theyâre working on an under-display camera, which would actually be really cool! But here is by far the most exciting report that we got in terms of the Apple Watch Series 7!
Ming-chi Kuo, a fairly reliable leaker, said that we should expect a brand new form factor for this yearâs watch, and if we take a simple look at where Apple has been going with their recent modern design changes, itâs pretty obvious that Appleâs gonna try to give it a more flat design, like in these very nice looking renders!
And making it even better, Kuo mentioned that Apple would be coming out with new innovative health management functions with the new Series 6, and the most-rumored one weâre all expecting is, of course, blood glucose monitoring.
This has been rumored for years, but we havenât actually seen it because of how difficult it is to check blood sugar levels without the traditional method of pricking your finger.
But recently, ETNews reported that this feature will actually be debuting on the Apple Watch Series 7, potentially using an optical sensor to do it.
However, a lot of people are skeptical because no one really has this type of technology right now, so Apple would have to invent some totally new tech to make it happen.
And a couple of months ago, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg said that Apple may launch a new rugged Apple Watch model for extreme sports as soon as this year!
Apparently, Apple employees are internally calling it the Explorer edition, which would have the same functionality as a standard Apple Watch, but with extra impact resistance and protection. And then going further, he mentioned that Apple is working on
new swim tracking features for the Apple watch as well. But the absolute banger leak that recently came just a few weeks ago was from Jon Prosser, who apparently got his hands on images of a brand new Apple Watch design with flat sides and a totally redesigned speaker grille layout.
Iâve gotta say that these renders by Ian Zelbo look absolutely amazing and they look perfectly inline with what youâd expect from Apple, looking similar to the new iPhone and iMac design, with those flat sides.
And according to Jonâs source, Apple has been working on experimental colors for the Apple Watch, including a green. So what if Apple is thinking of giving the Watch the same colors as maybe the iPad Air, which would be a pretty cool marketing move!
So as you guys can see, based on all of those very exciting leaks and rumors, weâve all got some pretty massive expectations for the Apple Watch Series 7, but sorry guys, this brand new report from Bloombergâs Mark Gurman is about to burst your bubble.
First off, I want to mention that Mark is one of the most reliable Apple leakers out there with basically 90% accuracy which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that his rumor count is now over 400!
And while everyone, including myself, thought that the M1X MacBook Pros were coming at WWDC, he was saying the complete opposite, and he was right, so letâs get into his new report! Mark says that the new Apple Watch Series 7 is coming with a few improvements, namely a faster processor, improved wireles connectivity and an updated screen.
Apple is apparently testing thinner display borders and a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover. He even said that the new Watch is likely to be slightly thicker overall, but not in a way thatâs noticeable to the user.
Now this is interesting because it seems like microLED is finally coming, but with all of the supply chip shortages going around, I honestly donât think itâs ready, or else Mark wouldâve specifically mentioned it.
And if microLED was actually coming in this yearâs Apple Watch, it wouldâve likely made it thinner and lighter like we heard from previous reports, instead of thicker like Mark is saying in this brand new report.
And yes, the new faster processor is exciting, but to be honest, the current S6 chip in the Series 6 is 20% faster than the S5 chip, but in day to day use, you canât really notice any difference because both chips are already fast enough to run WatchOS just fine, so I donât even think we really need a much faster chip.
And as far as wireless connectivity improvements, Apple could potentially be adding 5G to the Apple  Watch, but 4G is already draining battery life very quickly, and as we all know, 5G is a huge  battery hog, and in reality, you donât really need super fast 5G speeds on an Apple Watch.
So perhaps Apple will simply upgrade the Bluetooth spec to the new 5.2 version, which will make it more future-proof for the next several iPhone generations. But this is where Mark’s new study becomes particularly disturbing. Apple had reportedly planned to include a body temperature sensor in this year’s model, but it will most likely be delayed until next year.
And on top of that, the long-awaited blood-sugar sensor is unlikely to be ready for a commercial launch for several more years. Even worse, Mark claims that the new rugged extreme sports edition won’t be available until next year at the earliest, delaying all of those great features!
So I guess, in reality, the best hope for the Apple Watch series 7 is the new redesign that Jon Prosser showed off a few weeks ago, but if Apple was planning the redesign for this yearâs watch,  the Mark Gurman wouldâve likely mentioned it,  since heâs usually the first to mention Apple product redesigns. And on top of that, even Jon Prosser isnât sure that the redesign he  showed off is coming this year!
So yeh, Jon is saying thereâs a chance itâs not coming until the Series 8,  which would actually make sense and match up to Markâs new report,  which is basically making the Series 7 look quite boring, missing out on the features  that people actually want, and thatâs why I donât think itâs worth waiting for it.
And my other reason for not waiting is because the current Apple Watch Series 6 is on sale right now on Amazon, being a full $70 for both the 40mm size and the 44mm size.
đ€Ą So the main question that each person has to answer for themselves is this, is it worth waiting  another 3 for the Series 7 which could potentially be a boring update, or should you just buy the current Series 6 for a killer deal right now and enjoy using it throughout this entire summer.
Thatâs all up to you to decide, thanks for reading and weâll see you in the next one!đ·đ