Between the recently announced WatchOS 11 upgrade and the Apple Watch Series 9’s Double Tap functionality from last year, Apple’s smartwatch keeps taking minor but important steps forward.
But the company may have big plans in store for this year’s Apple Watch, if a report from Bloomberg turns out to be accurate. Apple could break away from its typical naming convention and call its next smartwatch the Apple Watch X (read as 10) in honor of the device’s 10th anniversary, similar to the iPhone X, according to the report.
The so-called Apple Watch X, which may debut this year or in 2025, could reportedly have a thinner design, a new mechanism for attaching bands, a micro-LED screen and blood pressure monitoring, Bloomberg says. The new watch may also be more power-efficient thanks to a new type of OLED display panel, according to Korean news outlet The Elec.
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There are plenty of ways Apple could improve its smartwatch. The company could turn its watch into an even smarter and more helpful health assistant with more artificial intelligence integration. Since Double Tap is relatively new, there’s a lot of opportunity for updates and optimizations that make it more convenient than actually tapping the screen. Changes like these could be particularly important as Apple faces fresh competition from Google’s Fitbit, which plans to launch new AI-powered features this year, and Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Ring.
With WatchOS 11, Apple is starting to address some of the Apple Watch’s shortcomings by adding features I’ve been wanting for years, such as the ability to customize activity goals by the day. But here are still some additional ways the Apple Watch could evolve in 2024.
More AI smarts, especially for health-related features
Siri will be able to answer health-related questions on the Series 9, thanks to a future software update.
Apple gave the Apple Watch Series 9 an AI boost by making it the first model that can process certain types of Siri requests locally. Queries that don’t require an answer from the internet — such as setting alarms or timers — can be carried out on the device itself without pinging the cloud, speeding up the whole process. Siri can also respond to health-related questions in this way, enabling it to answer requests about your sleep from the night before and about Activity Ring progress.
But Apple could make its watch an even more intuitive health agent, and it feels like this new Siri functionality is just one step in that direction. The rise of generative AI has opened up new possibilities for making data easier to understand by delivering answers in a more conversational way.
Google’s Fitbit, one of Apple’s competitors in the health-tracking space, is already experimenting in this area. In October, Fitbit teased a new program, called Fitbit Labs, that’ll arrive this year. It’ll initially connect the dots between certain data points and use generative AI to answer questions such as why you were more tired than usual after your morning run. The company also thinks AI can aid users in setting realistic fitness goals, as Google’s Ajay Surie recently told CNET.
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That type of insight would go beyond simply logging data and turning it into a graph or chart. It would make it easier to actually change your habits based on the information coming from your smartwatch. The Apple Watch’s Activity Rings already encourage you to get up and move or take a few extra steps. And the upcoming Vitals app in WatchOS 11 will show you when certain health metrics measured overnight may be out of whack. Now, imagine how much more motivating and useful information like that could be if Apple had it’s own type of health assistant.
Future Apple Watches could indeed include more AI-powered health tools. Bloomberg reports that the tech giant is working on an AI-fueled coaching program that’ll provide Apple Watch wearers with tailored suggestions and advice. Apple also just announced a bunch of upgrades to Siri, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see more improvements to Apple’s virtual helper make their way to the watch, too.
More Double Tap functionality
To Double Tap on the Apple Watch Series 9, you tap your index finger and thumb together.
Apple should double down on Double Tap by adding more customization options. The motion, which involves tapping your thumb and index finger together twice, currently lets you scroll through your widgets, answer a phone call, snooze an alarm, pause a timer and more.
Double Tap isn’t meant to be a replacement for touching your watch, so its functionality is understandably limited compared with other gestures like tapping and swiping. But I’d love to see more ways to personalize Double Tap. You can decide whether Double Tap advances your widget stack or selects a widget, or whether it pauses music or skips to the next track.
While I appreciate this flexibility, I wish there were other options. For example, you should be able to select whether to repeat a timer instead of ending it, or snooze an alarm versus dismissing it. Right now, Double Tap simply dismisses timers and snoozes alarms, with no option to decide to perform the other action. I wish I could choose, or perhaps triple-tap, to perform the other option instead.
Now that Apple is opening up Double Tap so that app developers can choose specific actions within their app that work with the feature, we may indeed see more use in the future.
An updated design
From left: The Apple Watch Series 9 in stainless steel and in aluminum.
The Apple Watch has received a few design tweaks over the years, but it’s the pricier Apple Watch Ultra that’s gained more significant physical upgrades, like a bigger screen and more durable build. Though Apple shouldn’t stray too far from the current model’s look, I’d like to see some changes. Apple revamped the iPhone’s design for its 10th anniversary, so I could imagine the company doing something special for the 10th generation Apple Watch — like perhaps a new finish or color.
Bloomberg reports that Apple may have some design changes in its pipeline for the rumored Apple Watch X. The company is reportedly working on a slimmer case and microLED screens for the Apple Watch, which would make its tiny display look more vivid.
A new magnetic method of attaching wristbands might also be in development for a future Apple Watch, according to the report, though it’s unclear if it would debut on the Apple Watch X. Such a change would likely come with advantages and disadvantages for Apple Watch owners, however. On the upside, it could make it easier for Apple to slim down the watch’s case, since Bloomberg’s report says the current attachment method occupies a lot of space. But it would also likely break compatibility with the past decade of existing Apple Watch wristbands.
Design isn’t always the most important element when it comes to tech gadgets. But smartwatches are the exception, considering they’re meant to be worn in plain view all day long. It’s one of the rare instances in which a fresh design may be enough to convince people with older watches to upgrade.
An Action button on the regular model
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 (pictured) and Apple Watch Ultra have an Action button.
Ever since the Apple Watch Ultra debuted in 2022, I’ve been awaiting the Action button’s arrival on cheaper Apple Watch models. The Action button turned out to be a handy way to quickly launch a workout or jump between apps, and I’ve long argued that it should be a part of the default Apple Watch experience. When I tried the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022, for example, I loved using it to start an outdoor walk workout with just a couple of taps. Using the OnePlus Watch 2, which has a customizable shortcut button, also made me realize the value of having a dedicated key for certain tasks.
Now that Apple has brought the Action button to the iPhone 15 Pro, I’m hoping it’ll trickle down to other devices, like the expected Apple Watch X. Putting the Action button on premium products like the Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro was a good starting point, but it should become standard across the board — even on cheaper iPhone models.
Since widgets play a bigger role in how we generally navigate the Apple Watch’s interface thanks to last year’s WatchOS 10 update, there’s more room for physical buttons to shine when it comes to specific targeted circumstances, like shortcuts. And that’s especially important on a screen as small as the Apple Watch’s. The standard iPhone 16 models are also expected to get the Action button, according to Bloomberg and MacRumors, further strengthening the argument that it should make its debut on cheaper Apple Watches too.
The Apple Watch has come a long way since its arrival almost 10 years ago. I’d like to see Apple push it to the next level by infusing more intelligence into health tracking. Apple could also bring the Watch up to speed with useful features we’ve seen in other products, like the Action button. And it could embrace the device’s roots as a fashion accessory with a fresh look.
