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Mild Upgrade for Apple Watch 2 Expected

Apple Watch 2
When Apple’s first plunge into the wearable world, everyone who knows the history of the tech company knows that it is just getting started. Hence, it is not surprising to hear rumors about preparations for the Apple Watch 2. Even though the launch of a second-generation Apple Watch is clearly in the distant future, Apple is presumed to be hard at work on the project.

Most sources say the full upgrade will arrive in September, but a mild refresh and new bands are due this spring at Apple's official 21 March event in Cupertino, CA.

9to5Mac’s well-connected Mark Gurman claims that Apple will introduce new Apple Watch models, but that the upgrades will be minimal.

Apparently, a fully redesigned Apple Watch will arrive in the fall. His sources say that the March Apple Watch will offer new bands, brand partnerships, and different materials for straps. The Watch itself likely won’t have any major hardware updates, the report states, but WatchOS 2.2 will debut with its multiple Watch support feature and more.

A report from the Commercial Times in Taiwan, which was picked up by MacRumors, hints that test production for the Apple Watch 2 could kick off at the end of January in Quanta’s factories. The publication’s source says the timing is earlier than expected. It’s unclear what the rumor means for Apple’s launch date plans for the Watch 2.

Earlier on, DigiTimes hinted that the company may be looking for a second supplier to make more Apple Watches next year. Inventec, Wistron, and Foxconn are reportedly in talks with Apple regarding production of the Apple Watch 2. Of course, this is just a rumor, and nothing is final yet.

Apple has its contractors sign strict non-disclosure agreements when building new products, but Quanta Computer’s chairman Barry Lam may have accidentally revealed the launch date for the Apple Watch 2. In minutes of an investors’ meeting, spotted by G4Games, Lam said the Apple Watch 2 was already in development, with a planned launch in the second quarter of 2016.

Quanta is the sole manufacturer of the original Apple Watch, so it does seem likely Apple would continue to use the Taiwanese manufacturer for future wearable projects. Lam said that while stores will start selling the Apple Watch 2 in the second quarter, mass production will not start until the third quarter next year. That fits with analyst predictions for the Apple Watch 2 launch date.

Launching in the second quarter means that Apple will most likely reveal the Apple Watch 2 at its new March event, where it announced the original Apple Watch and 12-inch MacBook last year. Either that, or it announces the Apple Watch 2 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2016, but that seems unlikely since it is a software event for developers.
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