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Grading My Apple Watch 2 Predictions

Posted by Matt Birchler
β€” 2 min read

People always make predictions for what they think will be coming at these Apple events, and they rarely go back and give grades on how they did. I made some predictions last week, and I took a look at the results form yesterday's announcements.

Out of the 10 predictions, I got 5.5 right (I was half right on one of them), which is decent. I am most proud of getting the product line renaming correct, which is not a rumor I saw anywhere else.

1. More CPU power - YES

This was my throwaway guess, so I'm not surprised it turned out to be true. Apple advertised a 50% increase in CPU performance, which is solid. A part of me was hoping we'd get something closer to 2x performance since it has been a full 2 years since the first model was revealed, but that was a little pie-in-the-sky thinking.

2. Instant launch for all apps - NOPE

This did not happen, and frankly there are no real software features exclusive to the new Apple Watch.

3. All your old watch bands will work - YES

They sure do! At basically the same dimensions and overall look and feel, the Series 2 Apple Watch will absolutely work with all those bands you bought for the original model.

4. 5-10% thinner body - NOPE

Apple has not released exact specs for the size of the new watch, but I heard from the show floor that it actually may be a fraction of a millimeter thicker.

UPDATE: WatchAware has screenshots of the dimensions for the new Apple Watch from inside the Apple Store app.

5. The body will look basically the same - YES

Put these 2 side by side with the same watch bands and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

6. 24-36 hour advertised battery life - NOPE

Apple is advertising the same battery life as the original Apple Watch. That's fine, as I always make it through the day, but I can't help but always want more.

7. R.I.P. Edition line - SORT OF

I'm giving myself a half point for this one. They still do have a watch they are calling the Apple Watch Edition, but it's no longer gold (that ceramic looks beautiful!), and also costs just $1,249. That's still a pricy watch, but it's also about 1/10th the price of the old edition. The name lives on, but the millionaires-only Apple Watch is dead.

8. Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport get renamed - YES

This one surprised even me! Yes, the Apple Watch Sport name is dead, replaced by the Apple Watch Series X. There is the Series 1 which is similar to the original model but has more processing power, and there is the Series 2 that is also waterproof and has GPS. The aluminum and stainless steel watches are all part of the same line now.

9. GPS will be built into the watch - YES

We kind of knew this one going in, but it was great to see it actually came to be. It's only in the Series 2 models, though.

10. Cellular will be an option - NO

This one was only on the list as my attempt to wish this into being, so I'm not surprised this did not come to be. The Apple Watch does not have cellular built into any model, so I'm holding out hope for next year.