Apple Event September 12: Apple Watch Series 3 Rumors, watchOS 4

Apple’s press event will take place September 12 and it will likely reveal the much-anticipated iPhone 8 and could also introduce the Apple Watch Series 3.

The event will take place at 10 a.m. PST in the Steve Jobs Theater at the new Apple Park campus in Cupertino, Calif., according to media invite shared by Apple Insider.

As we wait for the event, here’s a review of rumors surrounding the wearable device.

The Apple Watch Series 3 will come in 38mm and 42mm sizes, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The new device is also rumored to come with a longer battery life and should be water-resistant.

LTE Support

Rumors indicate the Apple Watch Series 3 will have LTE support. Kuo and SIG analyst Christopher Rolland both predict the device will come with LTE capabilities, which means the Watch can be used without a connected iPhone. Apple Watch Series 3 owners could make phone calls, send iMessages and stream content from Apple Music with the new feature.

Display

The iPhone 8 is rumored to come with an embedded Touch ID, and rumors suggest Apple will do the same for the Series 3 device. The new Apple Watch could come with a display-embedded Touch ID fingerprint-sensor.

Health Features

Health plays a big role in the Apple Watch, and the Cupertino company is set to deliver new features to help with workouts and nutrition. The device could also feature Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking, which will provide Watch owners with nutritional information. The wearable gadget could also include features like sleep tracking, heart rate analysis, respiratory rate analysis and non-invasive blood glucose tracking.

watchOS 4

The Apple Watch could be revealed alongside the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus in less than two weeks. Apple’s revelation of the devices will coincide with the release of iOS 11 and watchOS 4. Apple revealed watchOS 4 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Like iOS 11, watchOS 4 will support person-to-person payments. Apple Watch owners will be able to send and receive money using their device. The person-to-person payment feature means users won’t have to download an app like Venmo to send and receive money. Users can also ask Siri to send funds to friends and family and request and receive money on their Apple Watch in Messages.

Apple introduced the Apple Cash Card for iOS 11 and watchOS 4 at WWDC, which allows users to add funds to the card, use it to send money to others, transfer funds to their bank account or pay at stores and in apps.

As for health features, the Workout app on the watchOS 4 update will support various activities, including badminton, baseball, surfing, snow sports, pilates, paddle sports, kickboxing, jump rope, lacrosse, golf, fishing, downhill skiing, dance, cross training, core training, cricket, bowling, climbing and equestrian sports, among others.

With the watchOS 4 update, the NFC chip on the Apple Watch will be able to sync how many calories a user burned on a treadmill at the gym to the Apple Watch with just a tap. The two-way data exchange with gym equipment means device owners won’t have to calculate how many calories you burned throughout the day. The NFC chip feature will be compatible with gym equipment from Life Fitness, MS Artrix, Schwinn, Cybex, Technogym, Stair Master and Star Trac.

Manufacturing

The Apple Watch Series 3 has already entered the final testing stage in the manufacturing process, and was set to begin mass production, according to an August report from Chinese-language site Economic Daily News. This week, Apple released the watchOS 4 beta 8, just a couple of weeks before the press event.

While Apple hasn’t confirmed if the Apple Watch Series 3 will be revealed on September 12, the company’s rival Samsung has already announced two new wearables this week. The Korean company revealed the Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro, which will compete with the Apple Watch. The Gear Sport is a sleek, versatile, fitness-focused, waterproof smartwatch, while the Gear Fit2 Pro is described as an upgraded GPS sports band with smart features with a “Super AMOLED curved 1.5-inch display.”