Apple Watch: After witnessing major success with Apple Watch, especially Series 6 and the SE edition, tech giant Apple is now mulling releasing a more rugged version of its smartwatch to make it more attractive to sportspersons and athletes. Cupertino has apparently been mulling introducing a rugged Apple Watch at least since it launched the first-ever smartwatch back in 2015, but never quite went ahead with it. Now, with its Apple Watch Series 6 already working well with swimmers and athletes due to it being scratch resistant and water resistant to 50 metres, Apple might be thinking that it was time to bring out the big guns.
The watch, if it is released, might look at hikers and athletes as target audience, along with some other people who might be spending time in conditions that the Apple Watch is unable to endure in its current form. Even as many competitors of Cupertino are offering more sporty and durable smartwatches for this audience segment and are also performing quite well in terms of sales, Apple has been lacking an equivalent product. While the matter is only speculation at best currently, if the watch does come out, it can also serve as an attempt by Cupertino to move away from the popular opinion of its products being less durable and more fragile as many Android users often portray them to be.
If Apple indeed goes ahead with its plan to launch the “Explorer Edition” (via Bloomberg) as it is apparently being referred to internally, then it could hit the markets as soon as this year or 2022.
At present, it also seems likely that if released, the watch would be available in Apple stores alongside the usual Apple Watch products, be it current models or subsequent ones. While rumoured details about materials and designs are not yet making rounds, the device could have a rubberised exterior.