Apple Watch Series 3 to reportedly be discontinued this year

Apple’s low-end Watch Series 3 will be discontinued later this year, according to a new report from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple Watch Series 3 may go to end-of-life (EOL) in 3Q22 because the computing power can’t meet the requirements of the new watchOS.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 21, 2022

In a recent tweet from his still relatively new Twitter account, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the Series 3 will hit end-of-life status because its hardware doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for Apple’s watchOS 9, the company’s next version of wearable OS. The Apple Watch Series 3 currently supports watchOS 8.

watchOS 9 is expected to be revealed at WWDC, Apple’s annual worldwide developer conference, later this year and will hit Apple Watch users’ devices in the fall. It’s surprising Apple has kept the Apple Watch Series 3 around for so long given the entry-level Apple Watch SE is now available and is arguably an all-around better smartwatch, even with its slightly more expensive price in mind. For context, the Apple Watch SE costs $369 and the Apple Watch Series 3 costs $249.

Given that the Series 3 is roughly four-years-old and features the S3 chip, it’s not surprising that it looks rather dated when placed beside Apple’s more recent smartwatches, especially the Apple Watch Series 7 and its tiny bezels/always-on display.

Source: @mingchikuo Via: iMore