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Apple Watch SE With Colorful Plastic Design 'Remains in Development'

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Remember the "unapologetically" plastic iPhone 5c from 2013? The next version of the lower-cost Apple Watch SE might look similar.

iPhone 5c Yellow
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a new Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing "remains in development" ahead of a potential release next year. Apple has apparently faced some "cost and quality challenges" with the shift from aluminum to plastic, but he believes the project is still moving forward.

An even more affordable Apple Watch SE with a colorful plastic design could be appealing to parents who are looking to purchase an Apple Watch for their children. In the U.S., the current Apple Watch SE from 2022 starts at $249.

The next Apple Watch SE is also likely to offer a new chip with faster performance.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch SE 3
Tag: Mark Gurman
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch SE (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

S
swingerofbirch
20 months ago
How expensive can aluminum be? It's used in soda cans.

I know they say it's aerospace grade, but that means a bit less these days with planes disintegrating mid-flight.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
WarmWinterHat
20 months ago

This reeks of Tim Cook cost cutting.

Can’t wait until he’s gone.
Until the future CEO comes in and wants to cut hardware development costs and double services revenue.

There is little reason to think the next CEO will be more Jobs and less Cook. Careful what you wish for..
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WatermelonSugarHigh Avatar
WatermelonSugarHigh
20 months ago
What will mother nature think of plastics?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
moabal
20 months ago
Bring back the Mini!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
fwmireault
20 months ago
I guess Apple will unapologetically ask the same starting price despite cheapening out on materials
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Victor Mortimer Avatar
Victor Mortimer
20 months ago

I don't think so.

An all-plastic iPhone that doesn't look like any mid-tier from the past isn't an iPhone anymore.

The buyer wants others to know they own an iPhone. That's a big selling point for many.

5c failed because of this. And would have failed even if it had great flagship specs as it doesn't look premium enough to be an iPhone and doesn't resemble any iPhone that was once a flagship or mid-tier.

All-plastic smartphone means "not an iPhone". Bad idea.
While I think it's ridiculous to "want others to know they own an iPhone", and I generally use cases that make it non-obvious what kind of phone is inside, saying that plastic is "not an iPhone" is also utterly ridiculous.

Plastic is simply a better material for a phone than aluminum or glass. And most of us know this, because we put them in plastic cases anyway.

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Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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