Quanta Reportedly Developing Next-Gen Apple Watch for 2016 Launch - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Quanta Reportedly Developing Next-Gen Apple Watch for 2016 Launch

WatchQuanta Computer is reportedly working with Apple on development of the next-generation Apple Watch, according to Chinese-language website United Daily News [Google Translate].

The report is based on recent comments made by Quanta Computer chairman Barry Lam, who allegedly said development of Apple's next wearable device is underway. Quanta assembles the current Apple Watch.

UDN claims the new Apple Watch will launch late in the second quarter of 2016, with volume shipments beginning in the third quarter.

If the rumored timeline is correct, the next-generation Apple Watch could launch by June 2016, with increased production towards mid- to late-2016. The current Apple Watch was announced in September 2014 and released last April.

A few months ago, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri claimed the second-generation Apple Watch will launch in mid- to late-2016 and be thinner than current models. Few details are known about the upcoming device beyond a June report that said it will feature a FaceTime video camera and expanded Wi-Fi capabilities.

While a next-generation Apple Watch launching next year is realistic, UDN's report is questionable and should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

youtube iphone apple watch health ad 2026

New Apple Ad Sells the iPhone and Apple Watch Health Pairing

Thursday April 23, 2026 11:18 am PDT by
Apple has published a new ad to appeal to customers in the market for an iPhone and Apple Watch pairing, highlighting the insights it can offer for your health. Titled simply "Health with iPhone + Apple Watch," the half-minute ad focuses on a woman waiting in line at a cafe who begins receiving unsolicited health and fitness advice from other people in the queue, as well as local residents,...
watchos 26 gradient light

This New Apple Watch Face Is Coming in watchOS 26.5

Friday April 24, 2026 5:51 am PDT by
iOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5 will have a new Pride Luminance wallpaper and Apple Watch face when the updates are released in the coming weeks, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a brief tweet, Gurman revealed that Pride Luminance will "Celebrate the vibrancy and individuality of the LGBTQ+ community and customize your watch face with colors from Pride flags." iOS 26.5 has been in...
modular ultra training load

watchOS 27 to Offer New Watch Faces, Including 'Modular Ultra' Variant

Monday May 4, 2026 5:58 am PDT by
For watchOS 27, Apple is testing new Apple Watch faces, and one of them is a simpler version of an existing Apple Watch Ultra watch face that could be coming to standard Series models. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is testing multiple new faces for watchOS 27, code-named "Orchid." One of them is said to be a "simplified take" on the...

Top Rated Comments

jayhawk11 Avatar
137 months ago
I, for one, am very excited about FaceTime calls where the camera is pointed straight up my nostrils.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
137 months ago
But but... Steve would never make a watch without 2 GB of RAM.

This thing needs a file system to be productive!

This toy needs a USB port!

If it can't run OS X and full apps then it's a failure of a watch!

Am I MacRumoring right?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
137 months ago
please more ram or whatever so that overpriced notification center may actually become useful. by the time the apps decide to open, whatever i was trying to do is already over
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
137 months ago
I really hope Apple adds utility and rethinks the price. I have only seen one in the wild, and current the Apple watch section in Apple stores is always dead.

I see a trend happening in Macrumors, people are becoming more critical of Tim Cook and skeptical of the path Apple is taking. If 2nd generation isn't a jaw dropper, then someone should get the boot!
Hmmm....

MacRumors content image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
137 months ago
I don't care about thinner, I care about faster. Apple needs Apps that load up instantly like on the iPhone. Otherwise not a chance in hell I'd upgrade.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bladerunner2000 Avatar
137 months ago
I wish Apple would put this much focus into their computers.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)