Kuo: 2024 Apple Watch 'Unlikely' to Have 'Significant' Innovation

The 2024 Apple Watch is "unlikely" to offer "significant innovative experiences," according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple Watch Series 9
For instance, in a post on Medium today, Kuo said the Apple Watch will not be equipped with a micro-LED display or blood glucose monitoring in 2024. He believes these features are at least two years away from being added to the Apple Watch.

It's unclear if Kuo's prediction rules out the launch of the rumored "Apple Watch X" next year. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a significantly overhauled "Apple Watch X" would launch in either 2024 or 2025, to mark the tenth anniversary of the device. The original Apple Watch was announced in September 2014 and released in April 2015.

The information shared today by Kuo is quite vague, so there are a lot of possibilities and unanswered questions for now. For example, perhaps Kuo is referring to the model that will succeed the Apple Watch Series 9, and the "Apple Watch X" will be an additional high-end model that does offer more innovative changes. This would be similar to the iPhone X launching shortly after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in 2017.

Gurman said the "Apple Watch X" would be equipped with a thinner case, and potentially a magnetic band attachment system. And if the device doesn't launch until 2025, perhaps the rumored micro-LED display will also be ready.

Kuo added that Apple Watch shipments are expected to decline to 36-38 million units in 2023, a decline of approximately 15% on a year-over-year basis. However, he said that Apple Watch integration with Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset could "create an unparalleled and innovative health management experience" that boosts shipments.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Top Rated Comments

TotalMacMove Avatar
8 weeks ago
According to my friend who is an engineer for Apple, 2024 will be a big update.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abatabia Avatar
8 weeks ago
Not exactly making me want to part with my 7 any time soon.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ISignedUpToAskThis Avatar
8 weeks ago
Seems odd that 2024 wouldn't be a big update considering this year was pretty pathetic in terms of new features. Would rather Apple just didn't release a new Watch every year and wait until they had a ton of exciting new features to announce.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
8 weeks ago
Booooring. I have a 7 and honestly couldn't even tell you the differences between it and the 9 series, but I guarantee it isn't much.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scheinderrob Avatar
8 weeks ago
under timmy, apple has lost all track of the meaning of innovation. he's the steve ballmer of apple.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
8 weeks ago

According to my friend who is an engineer for Apple, 2024 will be a big update.
Hey, my friend told me the same thing, though he also added "but obviously things can still theoretically change"
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....