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Every new model of the Apple Watch promises an upgrade over the previous one, but this year’s edition might be a bit more significant.
The next generation of the Apple Watch is rumored to be built off the back of the A15 chip, which has been featured in the iPhone 13 and later models. (This bit of speculation comes from MacRumors, which reported that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared the information in the Discord channel for his newsletter subscribers.)
Previous generations of the watch utilized essentially rebranded iterations of the S6 chip, which has been in use since the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 6. With the newer A15 chip, the latest model of the Apple Watch could have more speed, faster load times, and better battery life.
Gurman reportedly said the new Apple Watch is unlikely to have major design changes otherwise, but did note that watchOS 10 could overhaul the watch’s interface, reintroducing widgets like “activity tracking, weather, stock tickers, [and] calendar appointments” to the display.
The Apple Watch has become a critical part of the iPhone ecosystem and success since its release in 2015. Close to 80% of smartwatch owners who own an iPhone own an Apple Watch, according to an April consumer survey from Counterpoint Research. Comparatively, 71% of Google Pixel owners who own a smartwatch own a Pixel Watch, and about 40% of Samsung smartphone owners with smartwatches have adopted the Galaxy Watch. (Though the Pixel Watch number might edge up because Google is literally giving them away.)
“Apple and iOS dominate the US smartphone market and iPhone users are more likely to adopt other Apple products due to their superior interoperability. With Apple’s smartphone installed base share surpassing 50%, it has a huge potential market to target with Apple Watches, while other smartwatch brands are stuck fighting for the rest of the pie,” Matthew Orf, a Counterpoint research analyst, said in the report.
Adoption of the Apple Watch in concert with the iPhone has significantly contributed to Apple’s dominance, where last year it captured about 56% of market share in the US smartwatch industry, according to Counterpoint.
In the fourth quarter of 2022 in the US, for every Apple Watch sold, Apple sold three iPhones. Meanwhile, Samsung sold one Galaxy Watch for every 10 Galaxy smartphones in the US, per Counterpoint.