On June fourth Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple led the Wearables Market in Q1-24 Despite some setbacks and lack of upgrades to their AirPods Lineup." In that report IDC presented a chart that clearly illustrated that Apple was the hands down leader in wearables. Yet they noted that Apple Watch shipments declined by 19.1% for the first quarter.

To help turn things around for Apple Watch, we learned from a Sunday Bloomberg report that Apple is working on a new version of its lower-cost Apple Watch SE model, which it last updated in 2022. One idea that the company has tested is swapping out the aluminum shell in favor of rigid plastic. Perhaps it’s looking to get the cost down to something that could better rival Samsung’s cheapest watch, the $199 Galaxy Watch FE. The SE currently starts at $249.

Further, this fall, Apple is planning some notable changes to its original smartwatch line — the “Series” models — including larger displays – closer to the size of display found on Appe's high-end Ultra model. The device also will be thinner, though the design itself is unlikely to look much different.

Both the Series 10 and new Ultra 3 will get a new chip, which could lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road. No AI features are expacted for the 2024 Apple Watch updates.  

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman added that a number of new health alert features for sleep apnea and measuring blood pressure or hypertension have experienced a serious setbacks. Apple's longer-term goal of introducing glucose monitoring is still in the ether. It should also be noted that in February 2024  The FDA issued a warning to those with diabetes that smartwatches or smart rings shouldn't be used to monitor blood glucose. Apple and Samsung will have to go back to the drawing board on attempting to deliver a non-evasive method for accurately monitoring blood glucose that will be passed by the FDA.

Beyond new features, Apple is also looking at some manufacturing changes. It continues to test and discuss the idea of 3D-printing the chassis for some Apple Watch models. That could speed up production and potentially help the environment by allowing Apple to use less material. For more on this and more, read the full Mark Gurman report/Newsletter.

On June 17, Patently Apple covered a report from Ming-Chi Kuo that pointed out that " Beginning in 2H24, Apple Watch will include components manufactured using 3D printing technology."

Down the road, other features could be on their roadmap. The company's engineers have filed Apple Watch related patents covering such features as an under display camera (see partial patent figure below) that would allow for understanding smart in-air gestures. Other Apple Watch specific inventions could be reviewed here.    

Though for now, a new Apple Watch SE could likely help Apple fend off cheaper models coming from Samsung, Chinese and Indian OEM's that primarily focus on lower-end models.