Next Apple Watch May Be Apple Watch X, Not Series 9
Apple Watch Series 8
The next Apple watch may be called the Apple Watch X, not the Apple Watch Series 9, according to French website iPhoneSoft.
This would be the second time a key Apple mobile tech series has skipped a “9” generation. In 2017, Apple chose to call its lead phone the iPhone X, not the iPhone 9.
The official line is this was down to the handset marking 10 years of the iPhone series. “iPhone X” sounded more dynamic and, sure enough, the mobile did represent a major shift in iPhone design.
The iPhone X introduced us to the display notch, used to house the tech required for Apple’s face recognition, which was impressive from day one.
However, there is another explanation. The number ”9” is considered unlucky in Japan, because when spoken aloud it sounds similar to the word for suffering.
Could this be the real reason for the diversion in naming, particularly at a time when the mobile tech market is in the most profound downturn it has seen since the start of the modern smartphone era?
iPhoneSoft says its source for this information is someone working within Apple.
If the Watch 9 were to be released, it would be the 10th mainline watch, as there was a “first generation” model before the Series 1 appeared in 2016. They are similar, but the Series 1 had a different processor.
Still, current available information suggests you should not expect the sort of dynamic changes seen in the iPhone X series.
A shift to microLED display tech is one of the stronger rumours regarding future Apple Watch tech. That is not expected until 2024.
Apple has already made its big Watch shake up. It happened last year, with the Apple Watch Ultra. Future surprises are welcome, but it’s tricky to see what route Apple might even take with a mainline Watch series redesign. These watches have looked pretty similar over the entire 7-8 years, the screen simply digging further and further into the surround.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone X or iPhone 9 later this year, in September.
