watchOS 9 finally drops support for Apple Watch Series 3 - The Verge

At WWDC, Apple introduced several new features for the forthcoming watchOS 9 platform. It’s also dropping support for the Series 3, hinting the Watch SE will be the budget smartwatch option going forward.

It’s been five years since Apple debuted the Series 3, and at WWDC 2022, it effectively laid the smartwatch to rest. watchOS 9 will not support the Series 3, and that likely means the Apple Watch SE will officially take over as Apple’s budget smartwatch.

The Series 3 introduced cellular calling when it launched in 2017, and at the time, it was a great smartwatch. (Though, the battery life could’ve been a bit better.) While Apple continued to support the watch over the years, it became increasingly clear that the Series 3’s days were numbered. Since the release of watchOS 7 in 2020, many users have reported the Series 3 struggles to update to new software. And watchOS 9 introduced a lot of new health and fitness features.

When the Apple Watch SE launched in 2020 alongside the Series 6, it muddied the waters with regard to which watch was truly the budget option. That’s because the Series 3 was still an option — for a heavily discounted price. At the time, the Series 3 was put forward as an entry-level watch, while the SE was for folks looking for the next level up without having to shell out for a flagship.

That... wasn’t a great idea. Even if you managed to upgrade to the latest watchOS, many of the newer features didn’t work as well. Some weren’t even included at all, despite the Series 3 supporting later versions of watchOS. App load times were so slow that it just wasn’t worth it.

The SE will likely be repositioned from being a midrange watch to an entry-level one.

    Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
  

Currently, the rumor mill is saying Apple plans to release three new Apple Watches this year: the Series 8; a rugged Apple Watch; and an updated version of the SE. It’s almost certain after today’s updates that some kind of rugged watch is on the way as watchOS 9 adds multisport activities for triathletes, more in-depth metrics for running, and several new workout views. But dropping support for the Series 3 gives extra credibility to rumors that we may see a new SE as well.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/6/23156839/watchos-9-series-3-compatibility-apple-watch-wwdc-2022

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