14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is reportedly planning a more rugged version of the Apple Watch that could see the daylight as soon as this year.
While very little information is available at this point, Bloomberg notes that the purpose of this Apple Watch is to be more durable, thus being offered specifically at athletes and people who need a smartwatch for more challenging activities, such as hiking.
But on the other hand, it looks like this Apple Watch, which Apple employees currently refer to as Apple Watch “Explorer Edition,” would only introduce a new more rugged look, with the features under the hood to be mostly the same as on the current models.
A rubber case that would increase the shock resistance is likely to be used instead of the current materials currently available on the Apple Watch.
To launch later this year
The Series 6 is offered in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium on the most expensive version, but at this point, it’s not yet clear if the rubber would be just a coating added to one of these three (most likely to the aluminum) or Apple would use a completely different material mixed with rubber for extra resistance.
There’s a chance the new device would be a modern reincarnation of the original Apple Watch Sport, which was sold back in 2015 and was actually the base version of the device. At that point, the watch was only offered with a silicone band, so maybe the Sport designation would make more sense on such a model.
The new device is projected to launch later this year, but Bloomberg notes that it can very well be killed overnight if Apple doesn’t like the final result. So you’d better not hold your breath for it, at least until the project reaches a more advanced development stage.