Oh. My.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning to release a watch that isn’t dependent on an iPhone to work.

This is big.

The report, which was published earlier this month, claims the “next version of the watch will include a LTE chip for internet connectivity and suggests the watch’s square casing may receive a radical new design,” reports Mashable:

If the report is true, it means the next generation of Apple Watch could be the first “must-have” wearable product.

Apple isn’t the first brand to introduce a standalone smartwatch, so why all the fuss? Well:

[I]ntroducing LTE connectivity to the best-selling device on the market from the most visible company in the world will instantly bring the feature to a wider audience, letting Apple play off its image as an innovator.

This happens with the iPhone nearly every product cycle, and the gigantic base of Apple fans eat it up. There’s little reason to believe the Watch would be much different.

Here’s a little on the evolution of the Apple Watch generations:

The Watch wasn’t a breakout success initially, but over time, Apple has correctly adjusted to consumer sentiment and found a great niche for the product. The first iteration was marketed as a general smartwatch for everyone, but as excitement for the shiny new Apple product wore off, the company pivoted to emphasize health and fitness features, like a built-in GPS and water resistance. That shift led to stronger sales that appeared to put Apple atop the entire wearables market.

The third soon-to-be-released version of the Watch will likely continue this health and fitness focus — that much was clear from the preview of watchOS 4 we saw at WWDC earlier this year. But it could also make the Watch even more useful for everyone in their everyday lives, making it a must-have for all of us in the iEcosystem.

Beyond the standalone connectivity, there’s also the rumour of Apple introducing “microLED screen technology” which could make the screen brighter and better than the current OLDE setup.

And finally:

If Apple, a famously design-centric company, begins to really treat its Watch like the fashion plate it has the potential to be, its general appeal could go through the roof as hypebeasts and fashionistas lust after the new form factor.

There’s more of an incentive to upgrade to the new redesigned Watch to go along with your Series 2 for Apple fans, too, giving them an opportunity collect them all and cycle between looks.

Although the move has techies a little “leery”, it is great for those who enjoy keeping on trend and moving with the times. Literally.

We’ll just have to wait until September to see – not too long now.

If you’re interested in getting any of Apple’s previous generations of smartwatches, pop over to Digicape here.

[source:mashable]