The Apple Watch 8 May is not available until September 2022, but we're already getting a leak of details about Apple's next smartwatch — the latest one unofficially showcases a very familiar design from its predecessor.
That's from @LeaksapplePro, which has been accurate in the past, and apparently, there's only one "noticeable change" to the wearable as far as looks are concerned: the addition of a speaker grille on the side of the case.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the design of the Apple Watch 7, but it looks like those hoping for an updated look will be disappointed when the updated model comes out later next year.
Internal changes
The rendering is a combination of CAD files and Apple images, so the final design of the Apple Watch 8 might look a little different than what you saw in the tweet above.
Another tip from iDropNews is that the Apple Watch 8 will be light green, similar to the color of the iPad Air. You can buy the Apple Watch 7 in blue, Midnight, Starlight, green, and red.
Even if the design is more or less the same as what we've seen before, there will be plenty of improvements and tweaks to the Apple Watch 8 internally. The Apple Watch's blood-glucose monitoring feature has been rumored for some time, and we may have it in 2022.
Analysis: What happened to the flat design?
You may recall that before the Apple Watch 7 was announced, there were many reports that it had a radically different, flatter design. Those predictions turned out to be inaccurate, and it doesn't look like the tablet design will appear next year.
So what happened? It's possible, of course, that rumors are wrong — and they do happen. But there seems to be considerable momentum behind the idea that Apple is considering updating the look of its smartwatch.
This will make the Apple Watch more like the iPhone and iPad in design, and Apple wants to make sure the look of its flagship wearable device doesn't get stale over time — so a redesign makes sense.
Perhaps the people in charge of Apple simply decided that the new look wasn't an improvement on the old one, or that the company needed more time to improve its manufacturing process before making changes. Don't rule out 2023.
