Apple Reportedly Developing Apple Watch SE With Plastic Casing

[MacRumors]

Apple is developing a new version of the low-cost Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today claimed.

Writing in this weekend's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman mentioned Apple's work on an Apple Watch SE that features a rigid plastic casing in lieu of anodized aluminum. He postulated that this may be one technique Apple may be planning to use to bring the cost of the Apple Watch SE down. The current Apple Watch SE sells for $249, but Samsung's cheapest rival watch, the Galaxy Watch FE, sells for $199.

Apple famously released the iPhone 5C with an "unapologetically" plastic casing in 2013, which was effectively a rehoused version of the iPhone 5. The polycarbonate exterior was available in various vibrant color options. The device was somewhat controversial because critics argued that the plastic casing was a step down from the luxurious metal finishes of previous models and some consumers felt that the device's price point was still too high for what was perceived as an inferior product.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Developing Apple Watch SE With Plastic Casing

 

[sunapple]

Unapologetically… compromised?

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I'd be fine with that.

 

[Joshuaorange]

The plastic casing was perfect at that price point and it was a great phone. Lots of kids had them. They were very tough and could be dropped without causing damage most of the time. Plastic is a far better choice than aluminum for things that bounce off the ground.

 

[Marx55]

Plastic cases are much better than metal ones for antenna reception. Besides being much lighter as well. And not getting so hot to the wrist touch…

And Apple should do other changes to the Watch as well to boost sales; unless for the Apple Watch Ultra: truly standalone (not requiring any other device to setup and use, albeit Mac dependency could be acceptable, but not iPhone or iPad dependency) and built-in camera, ideally telescopic rotating retractable camera inside the watch crown. Until that happens, the only alternative are Android watches. A shame for Apple!

 

[MacTwick]

I wonder if the performance will be throttled if true. I don't think plastic disperses heat as well as aluminum or SS.
Will probably scratch easier too.
I could see the lineup though:
Apple Watch SE: Plastic - no cellular option
Apple Watch Series 10: Same aluminum - GPS + Cellular option
Apple Watch Pro: Stainless Steel - Cellular only
Apple Watch Ultra: Titanium

 

[Joshuaorange]

Plastic cases are much better than metal ones for antenna reception. Besides being much lighter as well. And not getting so hot to the wrist touch…

And Apple should do other changes to the Watch as well to boost sales; unless for the Apple Watch Ultra: truly standalone (not requiring any other device to setup and use, albeit Mac dependency could be acceptable, but not iPhone or iPad dependency) and built-in camera, ideally telescopic rotating retractable camera inside the watch crown. Until that happens, the only alternative are Android watches. A shame for Apple!

A camera in a watch is even more useless than a camera in a tablet.

 

[kguay]

White please!

 

[DHagan4755]

High quality plastic shouldn't be a problem. Heck if Apple made a MacBook with high quality plastic it wouldn't be a problem either. The plastic used in the earlier MacBooks was not great so if it's like that, forget it on all counts.

 

[boak]

Bring it on. I have a case anyway since I'm clumsy.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Doesn’t sound very recyclable.

 

[artifex]

Looking forward to seeing an Apple Swatch. Just put a clear rubber band thing over it for more protection.*

*might get in the way of the biosensors

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Unapologetically time to increase the price of the aluminium models

 

[zilchfox]

Sure would be funny to make it white, so it could look just like the previously quite-expensive Apple Watch Series 5 in ceramic.

 

[JippaLippa]

It's actually not a bad idea, if the price will be 199$.

The SE should be the budget option, and any solution that can help lower the price, is good.

I'm in the market for an SE2 in the immediate future, so I won't wait for this one.
That doesn't make me any less curious.

 

[Ramchi]

Do they keep same features as in Ultra series ? Then it might work for Apple. If they simply remove features like LTE, Health and Activity Tracking, then it may not work

 

[contacos]

The worst is that this will be not reflected in a cheaper price, just higher margins for Apple.

 

[jz0309]

I’m not sure about a plastic case, it will likely not have the “look and feel” and Apple seems to be hanging on to that “look” for sure with the latest AW10 rumors.
The SE is almost always on sale for $200, will people really buy this new one for that price? It seems an odd way to increase market size…

 

[jz0309]

The worst is that this will be not reflected in a cheaper price, just higher margins for Apple.

Really? You have insights into Apple pricing plans you’d like to share?

 

[jz0309]

Plastic cases are much better than metal ones for antenna reception. Besides being much lighter as well. And not getting so hot to the wrist touch…

And Apple should do other changes to the Watch as well to boost sales; unless for the Apple Watch Ultra: truly standalone (not requiring any other device to setup and use, albeit Mac dependency could be acceptable, but not iPhone or iPad dependency) and built-in camera, ideally telescopic rotating retractable camera inside the watch crown. Until that happens, the only alternative are Android watches. A shame for Apple!

Now that would be not a smart move at all, camera will suck the battery, and dependency on a Mac would drastically cut the market size. You know that there are billions of iPhones vs 100s millions of Macs, right?

 

[contacos]

Really? You have insights into Apple pricing plans you’d like to share?

No need. Years of experience with Apple.

Latest example: Non-Leather Case being charged for the same price even though the new material is much cheaper and basically falls apart by just looking at it

 

[jz0309]

No need. Years of experience with Apple

Oh really?
Look at AW pricing since it came out…
And, Ultra was actually cheaper than a Ti 45mm S7…
I guess my experience is different than yours

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

why though? Does it need to be that cheap?
If Apple is going for Kids-Edition... fair enough... but otherwise a watch made from plastic is a stupid idea. (Even AL is quite soft.) Unless, of course, it's gonna be G-Shock version... I doubt that.

It might sound strange, but in terms of cost of long term ownership the Apple Watch Ultra is likely the cheapest watch.
It is much less prone to damage (I had hard impacts on mine not even leaving a scratch whereas my previous AW had a dent in the AL case), the display feels much larger due to being flat, the battery runtime is superior (which translates to battery life span), it's fitness for certain stuff is therefore higher, it comes standard with a modem so you can leave the phone home, it's the "Ultra" not just the average AW,... and some more.

As such if they launch an ultimate cheap-edition it may not be necessary cheap, but more like a throw away product after 2 years and actual cost per year might be quite high.

 

[Regbial]

Yuck... hell no pls... 😣

 

[Sippincider]

Excluding the solid-gold Edition, is the case really a significant part of an Apple Watch's price?