“As summer wends on, so too do the rumors of upcoming Apple products,” Dan Moren writes for Macworld. “This time it’s the Apple Watch that has gotten the spotlight, with word that the next version of the wearable might include cellular connectivity.”
“That’s been held up as a missing piece of functionality by those competitors that do include LTE support in their own smartwatches, but it’s hardly been an unequivocal demand amongst current owners of the Apple Watch,” Moren writes. “Is this a natural evolution for the product, or a case of trying to find some additional features to drive sales?”
MacDailyNews Take: It’s a natural evolution for the product.
“The benefits of cellular connectivity on an Apple Watch are pretty clear-cut. Rather than having to carry both your Watch and your iPhone around with you, you could leave the house with simply your Apple Watch,” Moren writes. “There’s a particular benefit to fitness users: runners can, for example, stream music from Apple Music or another service, rather than fussing with syncing music to the Watch’s local storage. They can also continue to get notifications while they work out, including, presumably, iMessages and emails.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re generally only without our iPhones when we’re running, swimming, and participating in other sports/activities. During those few hours per day, we’d really like have the cellular capability available for use, if necessary, in our Apple Watches. At all other times, the Watch would know the iPhone was in range and would use its cellular radio instead, as usual.
SEE ALSO:
Ming-Chi Kuo: LTE Apple Watch won’t make phone calls at launch, likely eventually; no Android support – August 16, 2017
How Apple could put an LTE radio into Apple Watch without killing battery life – August 7, 2017
An LTE-equipped Apple Watch could be a good sign for Intel – August 7, 2017
Apple Watch LTE will be a game changer – August 7, 2017
Apple plans to release a cellular-capable Apple Watch later this year – August 4, 2017
Apple Watch Series 3 reportedly set to arrive this fall – July 26, 2017
Apple Watch Series 3 could sport MicroLED display, cellular connectivity, Apple Smartbands – July 21, 2017
If one battery cooks off on this product while a customer is wearing it, Apple will be in law suit hell for years.
The author of this article should’ve read up on LTE-M before writing it. Almost all of the “cons” are invalid… specifically, size, battery drain, and cost.