As a low-cost wearable, the Apple Watch Series 3 has been around since its debut in 2017. Apple has decided to end its five-year run with the device.
As an entry-level wearable, the Apple Watch Series 3 made sense when it was originally released by the company. Since then, it has gotten less and less competitive, especially in the light of the Apple Watch SE’s lower price point.
New Apple Watch purchasers have little incentive to choose the Series 3 over a newer model at this time. Apple has even less reasons to keep it around.
Signs of Endings
It’s been suggested in a number of recent reports that the Apple Watch Series 3 would be phased out by the year 2022.
Back in February, reports indicated that Apple was planning to introduce three new versions of its smartwatch in 2022. The Apple Watch Series 3 will likewise be phased out in the next range.
Anyone who’s been following Apple for more than a few minutes was able to establish the link between the model’s retirement and the fact that it was becoming older. A new study on the 21st of March made it clear.
Apple Watch Series 3 will be discontinued in the third quarter of 2022 due to “computing power not meeting needs of next watchOS,” according to renowned TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Monday.
As far as I know, Kuo doesn’t have any actual facts to back up what he’s stating. WatchOS 9, which is due at WWDC 2022 in June, is likely what Kuo is referring to.
As long as Apple is still selling the Series 3 Apple Watch, Kuo’s forecast implies that the device will be discontinued at some point in the future. Despite the fact that this is unusual for the corporation, it isn’t unheard of.
When compared to earlier versions, there are of course many functions lacking from the Apple Watch Series 3. The gap between the entry-level Apple Watch and the company’s current lineup has only widened over time.
Feature Deficits
Unless pricing is a decisive factor, it’s difficult to suggest that people buy an Apple Watch Series 3 instead of a new model at this moment.
The design of the Apple Watch Series 3 is over five years old. More than any of Apple’s existing wearables, it has a more rectangular and boxy form with a bigger bezel than the latest ones.
While the Apple Watch Series 3 is still supported by Apple’s software upgrades and integrations, the CPU of the device is showing its age as well..
Unlike its predecessors, the Apple Watch Series 3 doesn’t have access to as many watch faces. Complications, one of the most convenient and helpful elements of Apple’s watchOS software, aren’t supported because of the CPU restrictions of the watchOS 2.
The life-saving fall detection and electrocardiogram (ECG) functionalities of newer devices are also lacking from Apple’s 2017 Apple Watch.
Updates are another consideration. The Apple Watch Series 3’s reduced internal storage space necessitates that the device be unpaired and reset in order to install new software. That transforms a slight annoyance into a major hassle for the user.
Customers suffer as a consequence of all of this. Even while it costs around $80 less than an Apple Watch SE, which has a better display, greater storage and a larger CPU, this device is still less expensive.
It’s time
The five-year lifetime of Apple’s Series 3 has outlasted any preceding model. When Apple produced the Apple Watch Series 1 and the Apple Watch Series 2, for example, the Apple Watch Series 0 was phased out. Three years after its debut, the first Apple Watch was no longer supported by watchOS 5. In 2020, watchOS 7 will cease software support for the original and second-generation Apple Watch models.
For the last five years, the Apple Watch Series 3 has been an excellent wearable at a reasonable price, increasing the number of people who own an Apple Watch. After five years, Apple’s low-cost wearable is surely time for the company to phase it out.
As a result, Apple’s present product selection would be harmed. However, a lower-cost new model or an older model at a lower price point may readily fill the void. Due to its current price difference of just roughly $80 between it and Series 3, Apple Watch SE might potentially displace Series 3 models in the future.
The Apple Watch Series 3 is reaching the end of its useful life, whether Apple replaces it in its range or merely raises the price of the lowest-cost gadget.