Welcome to the TR Apple Watch live blog!
Welcome to TR’s Apple Watch live blog. Keen to read about all the latest Apple Watch 8, Apple Watch Pro and Apple Watch SE 2 news as it all happens? This is the place to be.
We’ll keep you updated with all the news, leaks and information on the trio of wrist-mounted devices we think are going to be launching on 7 September, as well as covering the event as it happens. We’re certain to see the iPhone 14 for the first time and extremely likely to get the new Apple Watches, but new AirPods and updates to Apple TV and Apple Fitness+ could also be in the mix. As TR’s resident Fitness and Wellbeing Editor, I’ll also be covering any Fitness+ news right here.
I’m really excited – if watchOS 9 is anything to go by, this might be the first generation of Apple Watches that really delivers what I want: namely incredible running metrics. As a regular Polar and Garmin user, I love getting into the nitty-gritty details of my exercise, figuring out where on my route I slowed down, how much power I was generating, and what can be done to improve my running efficiency.
The software improvements from Apple’s latest OS allow me to do just that, with its new heart rate zones, running power, and run coaching metrics examining stats such as vertical oscillation – this is when your body is moving up and down as you run, rather than forward.
The latest slew of Apple Watches are likely to pack hardware that supports and adds to these functionalities (especially the much-rumored Garmin-rivaling Apple Watch Pro), making them a one-stop shop for fitness junkies hungry for more than just closing their rings every day.
Got any questions? Tweet me or email me on the links on my profile, or keep your eyes glued to this page for more.
Apple Watch 8: What we expect to see
The Apple Watch 8 looks set to be the best yet if leaks and rumors are to be believed and is likely to set you back around $399 / £369 / AU$599.
If the Apple Watch 8 is coming with both a cheaper SE and more expensive Pro, it’s unlikely there will be drastic changes this go-round. Rumors have said we could see screens as large as 50mm and significant battery improvements, but if a Pro is on the horizon, such sweeping changes will probably be reserved for that premium model.
Instead, we’re looking at a more iterative upgrade, with innards consisting of a small bump from the S7 to S8 processor, similar screen sizes to the Apple Watch 7, the usual choice of cellular and wi-fi models, and an array of colorways that are apparently unlikely to match the iPhone 14 ones, according to MacRumors (opens in new tab).
What it might have, that intrigues me, is a new skin temperature sensor added to its existing array. Other brands like Fitbit already use one of these, which is incredibly useful for detecting changes in stress levels and improving the accuracy of sleep tracking. However, while it might indicate whether you’re suffering from a fever, it’s not good enough to be medically accurate as it’s got no way to check your internal core temperature.
I really want to see how Apple markets this new sensor; whether it’ll be used to further refine and improve sleep tracking, or a more medical, illness-related use is touted. The one problem there is getting approval from governing bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, a fiendishly difficult process.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also claimed that the Apple Watch 8 will have “major updates to activity tracking” and a faster chipset.