According to a new report, Apple might be planning a cellular-connected model of its next Watch, which will likely be called the Series 3 and arrive alongside the next iPhone models.
Next month is September, which can only mean one thing: there’s a big Apple event coming up. The company is expected to announce three new iPhones, along with a new Watch. According to a report from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the Watch is going to be available in a cellular variant, with LTE modems from Intel.
Likely called the Apple Watch Series 3, Gurman speculated that the variant of the device could still be “delayed beyond 2017”, just as previous rumors of an LTE-enabled Watch have been “delayed”. Pricing wasn’t mentioned in the report, but Apple charges $130 for cellular connectivity in an iPad, so it will probably be at least that much for the feature in a Watch.
As it stands right now, the Apple Watch can only get cellular data from the iPhone that it’s paired with, and 4G connectivity would turn it into a truly standalone device. Customers would be able to use it for streaming music, iMessages, and more without having to carry their phones.
When we reviewed the LG Watch Sport, which has cellular connectivity, we were impressed with how convenient it is to have such a feature. It will be interesting to see how Apple implements it, and what kind of benefits it will provide.
