the Apple Watch Series 7 is disappointing, but is that Apple’s fault?

Because of all the rumours, we had sky-high expectations for the Apple Watch Series 7. Unfortunately, most of the predictions didn’t come true. Who can we blame for this: rumor propagators, the media or Apple itself?

Apple Watch Series 7 review

The pace picked up during the Apple fall keynote last September. The company quickly announced several new products, including the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPad (2021) and the iPad mini (2021).

I had high hopes for the new Apple Watch beforehand, but it stole the show in a negative way. “Was this all?” was the thought that crossed my mind after the presentation. The new watch was nothing like the smartwatch I expected.

Time for a short look back. In the period leading up to the September Apple event, a lot of information about the Apple Watch Series 7 came out. The kick-off was provided at the end of 2020 by Ming-Chi Kuo, who is seen as an authority within the world of Apple rumours.

The analyst was sure that the successor to the Apple Watch Series 6 would get a completely new design. He left precise details open, but he knew that the Series 7 would get a “drastic” design change. He also promised that all kinds of new health functions were coming. Our interest was aroused.

The Series 7 shows its face for the first time

It was quiet for a while around Series 7 until Kuo got backing from Jon Prosser last May. Prosser is a well-known YouTuber who seems to have warm contacts at Apple.

The so-called ‘leaker’ shared renders (computer animations) of the alleged new Apple Watch. This showed that the Series 7 would get a ‘flat’ screen, which seems to be on the housing from the side. Prosser did not want to reveal his anonymous source, but was convinced that the renders were correct. Was noted.

And sure enough, a few weeks later was also Mark Gurman tack. The well-known Bloomberg journalist revealed that the new Apple Watch would have a “completely new” design with thinner screen bezels. Not much later, he also announced that the screen sizes would be overhauled.

The moment of truth

Let’s jump in time to September 14. The Apple event of the year kicked off at 7:00 PM Dutch time, under the motto “California Streaming”. First the iPads were discussed, but after that all the spotlights were on the Apple Watch. Will the new watch have a ‘flat’ design? And, does he actually have a blood sugar meter on board?

The answers are easy to guess: no, and again no. In fact, at first glance, the Series 7 is identical to its predecessor: there is no question of a flat screen. However, Apple boasted that the screen edges have become narrower by twenty percent.

Speaking of which, the Series 7 also comes in two new, larger sizes. Apple dwells extensively on this fact and again mentions that the screen edges are narrower. Furthermore, the maximum brightness has also been increased and the glass has been made stronger, so that it breaks less quickly.

Who is to blame?

Don’t get us wrong: these are all valuable additions, of course. However, they are not improvements that will have you running to the store as quickly as possible to get a Series 7. No, anything but even. In the smartwatch field, 2021 is a gap year for Apple.

That is of course unfortunate for us fans. It is always nice to be surprised with a completely new product. But, is Apple really to blame for this disappointment? The company itself has never said anything about the new Apple Watch in the run-up to the unveiling. On the contrary: Apple always keeps its jaws tight.

The entire industry of forecasting, previewing and sharing rumors is powered by anonymous sources, insiders and websites like ours, not Apple itself.

The design of the Apple Watch Series 7

How is it possible that several reliable insiders got it all wrong this time? Did Apple roll back the renewed design of the Series 7 at the last minute? Or is there more to it? We will of course never get definitive answers to these questions, but the course of events is remarkable.

We don’t think Apple intended to redesign the Series 7. The company usually works far ahead and the design of a new product is more or less determined months in advance. It is necessary, because designing a new Apple Watch is one thing, producing and distributing it is another. It is a gigantic operation to make a new smartwatch and put it in the shops.

It seems more likely to us that the design of the Apple Watch will only be overhauled next year, or at a later time. The Apple smartwatch is due for a makeover. The watch has looked about the same for years, with some improvements here and there.

When can you buy the new Apple Watch?

However, we don’t want to completely rule out the theory that the design was changed at the last minute. The sales process of the Series 7 is messy to say the least. For example, those who go to Apple’s website now cannot view the specifications of the Series 7 and a specific date of sale is still unknown. Apple itself indicates that the watch will be sold “from this fall”.

In summary, we can say that the Apple Watch Series 7 seems anything but an exciting Apple product. Whether Apple is to blame for this is debatable. However, it seems safe to assume that there are some problems in the background: otherwise the watch would already be ‘just’ in the store like previous years.

More about the Apple Watch Series 7

Do you want to know more about the new watch? We recently compared the Apple Watch Series 7 with the Series 6. So the new watch has a larger screen, faster processor and longer battery life. A lot of work has also been done on the software side. You can read more about this in our review of watchOS 8, the Apple Watch software update of 2021.