New Apple Watch band connector: Three reasons to believe the reports (and one reason not to worry)

There have been recurring rumors that a new Apple Watch band connector is in the works, rendering existing bands incompatible with future Watch models.

There are three reasons to believe that the reports are true, but I’d expect the change to be a whole lot less controversial than some are suggesting …

New Apple Watch band connector

The first report came from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, back in the summer, who said it was part of a major redesign of the device.

Gurman writes that Apple is preparing a major redesign for the Apple Watch, referred to as Apple Watch X […] scheduled to launch in 2024 or 2025, in line with the device’s 10th anniversary. The update will represent the biggest redesign of the Watch ever, following several years of minor changes.

Gurman says Apple is trying to make the Watch X thinner than ever, possibly including a new magnetic attachment system for attaching and swapping bands […] The switch from the band-compatible sliding system to a new magnetic attachment system is an effort to reduce space, potentially unlocking more internal space for the battery.

Yesterday’s corroboration came from Kosutami, a leaker with a solid track record, who was very definite about it.

Understandable initial controversy

Understandably, that’s led to a lot of people expressing dismay. There are people who have large collections of Watch bands, which they vary to suit their outfit or their mood, and it’s not uncommon for less fashion-forward folk to have two or three.

It has also led to inevitable accusations of Apple doing this purely as a money-grab.

They are simply trying and succeeding at sucking every last penny they can out of their customers. That is the goal of all corporations. The goal isn’t to improve their products or the lives of their customers, the goal is make more money next year than they did last year. Full stop.

Certainly if Apple did it without good reason, there would indeed be outrage. But that’s unlikely to be the case.

The reason suggested in the reports is that the existing connector system takes up a lot of space, and that’s room the company would like to use for other things. That could be new sensors, or simply a larger battery.

Three reasons to believe the reports

There are three reasons to believe the reports. One, the sources are good.

Two, the logic likewise: While the existing connector system is a good design, combining rock-solid connection with relative ease of swapping bands, it’s undeniable that it takes up a lot of internal space. Additionally, a magnetic system would allow even quicker and easier band-swaps.

Three, Apple has shown time and time again that it is happy to ride out the controversy on this type of change.

The iPhone’s change from 30-pin connector to Lightning to USB-C. The removal of the headphone socket from iPhones. The switch from USB-A to USB-C in MacBooks. The removal and later reintroduction of (an incompatible version of) MagSafe on MacBooks. I could go on, but you get the idea: The company is not afraid of change, even if those changes are unpopular in the short-term.

One reason not to worry

Sure, if you’ve invested hundreds of dollars (thousands, in some cases) in Apple Watch bands, you’d be pretty upset if you couldn’t use them with upcoming models.

But nobody is suggesting that will be the case. It’s an absolute certainty that Apple will sell adapters for existing bands.

A dongle does bring to mind visions of something quite clunky, but I wouldn’t expect that to be true. Given that the new connector is expected to be magnetic, and to take up much less room, I’d imagine that will connect to the Watch very seamlessly. An adapter needn’t end up looking very different to the existing connector.

Perhaps the Ultra will be an exception?

One additional issue that’s been raised is whether any magnetic attachment system will be strong enough to cope with extreme conditions.

With rock-climbing, for example, it’s easy enough to catch your strap on a sharp piece of rock, and even a strong magnetic attachment could come undone and see your Watch plunge to the ground below. Similarly with things like scuba-diving.

The Ultra also already has a long battery life. So perhaps the Ultra will retain the existing connector, and rely on its large size (which may be getting even larger) to accommodate any extra sensors?

This will be a storm in a teacup

I’d actually expect this change to end up being way less controversial than previous ones. I think the benefits of faster connectors (think MagSafe, but stronger) will be a big sell to those who do like to swap bands, and we’ll all appreciate better use of the space inside the case, even if it’s only used for the least-exciting benefit of increased battery-life.

And actually the people who have greatest reason to be upset – those who have a significant collection of expensive bands – could end up being the happiest of all. They’ll likely buy adapters for each band, as the marginal cost will be small, so they’ll then get even faster band-swaps.

That’s my view – how about yours? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Images: Apple