The Apple Watch is getting a revamp, with Cupertino announcing the next generation of its smartwatch at its press event earlier this morning. The Apple Watch Series 2 sees modest hardware upgrades – such as a faster processor and brighter screen – but continues the pivot Apple has been making towards fitness.
In terms of hardware specs, the Apple Watch Series 2 will have a new dual-core S2 processor, making it 50 percent faster. There is also a GPU, which should help with graphics performance; and display that is two times brighter than its predecessor.
But most of the new improvements are on the fitness side. It is now water resistant (for up to 50 metres), so you can use the watch when swimming, surfing or in the pool. The watch can also count the number of laps, lap pace and auto-detect stroke type so it can calculate how many calories you burn when in the pool.
The Apple Watch Series 2 will also record distance, pace and speed without it being tethered to your iPhone. It uses your Wi-Fi, GPS and locally stored satellite data to quickly identify your location. There will also be a special band specifically created for Nike+, allowing you to use the Apple Watch to record and send metrics to the service.
The old Apple Watch, now branded as “Series 1”, will also be upgraded to use the new processor and GPU. However, all the new fitness features introduced in Series 2 will not be making it across to Series 1.
Pricing for the Apple Watch Series 2 will start at AU$529, while the Apple Watch Series 1 will start at AU$399. Preorders for the Apple Watch start tomorrow, and will begin shipping on September 16 in Australia, most of Europe, New Zealand and the United States.