Will the Apple Watch Pro need a whole new band to work perfectly?
David Phelan
The next Apple Watch will be announced on Wednesday, September 7 at Apple’s next special event. And it looks like there will be more watches than ever. But the most anticipated model, a model with a larger screen that could be called the Apple Watch Pro, could be the first that isn’t backwards compatible with earlier bands — which is a big change for Apple.
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The Apple Watch always comes in two case sizes. Originally they were 38mm and 42mm, then from Series 4 they grew to 40mm and 44mm. And now the watch cases are 41mm and 45mm.
But all the while, Apple managed to pull off a pretty neat trick: backwards compatibility for all straps. So the straps you bought with your 38mm watch will still fit the 40mm and 41mm models, and the straps originally made for the 42mm watch will work for the 44mm and 45mm versions .
Part of the reason this happens is that these dimensions refer to the height of the box, not a diagonal measurement. Still, it’s a great thing and means users know they won’t need to conserve their strap collection when they upgrade.
But a Weibo rumor picked up by MacRumors suggests that the all-new Pro model will buck that trend. While the Series 8 and the new SE, which also looks certain to be announced, are expected to remain unchanged in size and match the Series 7, the Pro will be different.
The case size is believed to be significantly larger, 47mm or even 48mm, and this increase, along with the expected new design with a flatter display and sides, will make older straps incompatible.
This is a big change. While it’s true that some newer straps (like the lovely Solo Loop) are only designed for newer watch hardware, Series 4 and up, it’s always been the case that older straps will still work with newer watches.
Perhaps the new design and, just as importantly, the expected focus on extreme sports means a whole new range of straps is desirable.
Whatever the reason, there will be consternation from many who don’t want to throw away their band collection. Those people can only upgrade to Series 8.
There’s a twist to that story: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has already tweeted on the subject, saying, “I believe the Apple Watch Pro will support older bands — though they might not fit as well or look as seamless given the size of the new watch .”
I am interested in this. Apple definitely won’t recommend a strap unless it fits perfectly (like how the first Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro wasn’t deemed compatible with an updated Pro, but fitted very snugly). And maybe here it is different: if the strap technically attaches with the same mechanism, but there is doubt about the safety of the connection, it will certainly not be considered compatible. After all, you don’t want your watch to fly off your wrist, especially if you’re into extreme sports, which is what the Apple Watch Pro is all about.
Even more so as we have it.
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