This One Apple Watch Rumour Excites Me

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Reports suggest that we’re going to see the Apple Watch Series 7 (assuming that’s what it’s called) during the next Apple event.

A firm date for the event is yet to be set, but it’s likely that the unveiling of Apple’s latest smartwatch will take place alongside the next iPhone reveal.

I don’t really give two hoots about the iPhone 13. But my interest in the development of the Apple Watch has increased – all thanks to one rumour.

I’ll get to that rumour in a second, but let’s first take a quick look at where the Apple Watch might be headed in the immediate future.

A bigger screen

According to AppleInsider, the Apple Watch Series 7 is going to feature larger screens for its two iterations – 41mm and 45mm, to be exact (up from the current 40mm and 44mm sizes).

The 45mm Apple Watch is expected to feature around 16% more pixels as a result, which might not sound like a lot, but is actually rather football-field-sized in the world of smartwatches.

I have the 44mm Series 6, and while I’ve never really yearned for more screen estate, I do like the idea of a larger watch. This is for no other reason than because I like big watches; if we can fit more complications onto the screen and enjoy some more expansive watch faces on as a result, then that’s cool.

Health updates

Beyond fitness tracking, the Apple Watch clearly has one other vitally important task as far as Apple is concerned. They want it to be a personal (but please-always-check-with-your-doctor-before-confirming-yourself-dead) health assistant.

I don’t use any of the current health-related features on my Apple Watch. Like most people, I checked my ECG and blood oxygen level once, marvelled at how cool it was (and, equally, how little I understood about the results) and then never touched the features again.

There’s an exception to this rule, though, which is the heart rate sensor. I do genuinely feel comforted by the fact that my Apple Watch has an eye on my ticker. And this is where I think most of the real user benefits lie for the future of the Watch; sensors that quietly sit there in the background, keeping tabs on vital elements of our bodies.

It’s therefore encouraging to hear that Apple isn’t finished on the health front, by any stretch of the imagination. Although this year’s model isn’t likely to enjoy any significant updates in this regard, rumours suggest that we’ll see monitoring for sleep apnea, blood sugar, hypertension, and body temperature in the future. This is great news.

But it still isn’t what I’m excited about.

The Apple Watch rumour that excites me the most

A little while ago, I temporarily traded my Apple Watch for a Casio G-Shock. I wore the latter for a month and quickly fell in love with it.

I realised that I wasn’t quite as reliant on the Apple Watch as I’d suspected. Tellingly, since that month-long experiment, I’ve found myself reaching for the G-Shock at weekends while the Apple Watch accompanies me throughout the week.

This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I like not having to worry about charging my watch each night (particularly if we’re away somewhere for the weekend), and, secondly, if I happen to do anything DIY or gardening related during my time off, I’m less concerned about inadvertently damaging the G-Shock. It’s also nice not to be bothered by a constantly vibrating wrist.

In fact, I can confidently say that the G-Shock is a far more fun watch to live with.

This is why I was particularly excited to see the following sentence in AppleInsider’s recent Apple Watch Series 7 rumour roundup:

The company will also reportedly introduce new models in 2022, including a low-end Apple Watch SE, a rugged model geared towards athletes, and a new flagship model.

The low-end Apple Watch SE is a brilliant thing; I’m a big fan of lowering the cost of entry into this excellent part of Apple’s ecosystem. A “new flagship model” worries me slightly, although I assume this refers more to the ‘regular’ Apple Watch than a return to the lunacy that was the Edition line.

But it’s the “rugged model” that really interests me.

As noted recently, I want Apple to be more interesting. I want them to experiment with their product lines a little bit and launch iterations that aren’t quite as straight-laced as is demanded by their high standards.

The idea of an Apple Watch that might be a bit chunkier, rubberised, and capable of banishing all worries about how you move your arm when it’s attached (come on, if you’re an Apple Watch owner, you know exactly what I mean) is genuinely exciting. I’d buy one in a heartbeat. If you’ll excuse the pun.

More importantly, it would demonstrate that Apple is indeed willing to give us something that doesn’t need polishing every five seconds to make it look even remotely like their product photography.

Here’s hoping for a more interesting Apple Watch product line in 2022.