Apple Watch 2 May Be Revealed In March: Watch Out, Samsung Gear S2

The first Apple Watch might have not made the waves the tech industry had expected, but that doesn’t mean Apple won’t try again. According to 9to5Mac, the Apple Watch 2 will be available sooner than expected.

“Apple is currently planning a March 2016 event to unveil the second-generation Apple Watch, according to sources with knowledge of the plans. The second version of the Apple Watch would then ship by April, nearly a year after the original model first went on sale.”

The article adds that the Apple Watch 2 could have a FaceTime camera, sleep tracking, and health sensor features. According to other sources, the new Apple Watch could also have its own 4G connection, something that would make it far more useful than the current Apple Watch. If this is the case, the 4G Watch would have its own number, but still be able to take on the same number as the iPhone if the user wanted it to, much like the Samsung Gear S2.

The Apple Watch was the first major new product from Apple in years not to receive unanimously good reviews. Even though CNET gave the Watch three-and-a-half stars, it was a rating that was lower than any other Apple product during the past year.

“The Apple Watch is the most ambitious, well-constructed smartwatch ever seen, but first-gen shortfalls make it feel more like a fashionable toy than a necessary tool. That may change with a big software update later this year, though.”

CNET didn’t like the fact that the battery only lasts about a day and that the price for most models is more than it should be. They also thought the interface was confusing and the communication with the iPhone was too slow. The New York Times didn’t like the fact there was a steep learning curve.

“First there was a day to learn the device’s initially complex user interface. Then another to determine how it could best fit it into my life. And still one more to figure out exactly what Apple’s first major new product in five years is trying to do — and, crucially, what it isn’t,” claimed reviewer Farhad Manjoo.

According to Tech2, Watch owners have mixed feelings about the device, but might still get the next one.

“Not everyone is impressed with the Apple Watch. According to a new study from Wristly, some early adopters are already questioning its usefulness and its price tag. Yet despite their disappointment, they’re still wearing it and even contemplating buying the next version.”

However, 9to5Mac conducted its own poll of Apple Watch buyers to see if they are still wearing the Watch after eight months and found that 72.07 percent said they wear their Apple Watch everyday. Twelve percent say they wear their watch, but not every single day. Sixteen percent said they don’t wear their watch at all. While the 16 percent number may seem low, it’s still a significant percentage of people who paid over $350 for a device they don’t care to wear anymore.

One has to remember that people ripped apart Apple’s flagship device, the iPhone, when it was first released in 2007. Though the device is now considered groundbreaking, consumers thought it was incomplete: no 3G Internet, no video camera, not enough apps, etc. That changed a lot with 2008’s iPhone 3G and, today, nobody even remembers the problems with the first iPhone. The very same thing may just happen with the Apple Watch 2.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]