Apple Watch Ultra 3 Not Coming, In Unexpected Twist, Report Claims

Apple is about to announce its flagship products for 2024—full details of what and when here, and how to watch the keynote where we’ll likely see the iPhone 16, here. But a new report says that Apple won’t release a new version of its high-end, rugged Apple Watch. That’s a surprising turn of events.

In a post on X, Bloomberg’s usually reliable Mark Gurman says, “I don’t expect Apple to announce an Apple Watch Ultra 3 tomorrow. Instead, I expect the Ultra 2 sticks around and — finally — gains a black color option. I also wouldn’t rule out a delay to the new Watch SE.”

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This is interesting, because it’s a complete change of heart from Gurman’s predictions of just a week ago. This either means that his sources within the company are not as reliable as they were or wildly different information has suddenly come to light.

Just a week ago, he said, “For the first time in two years, the company is preparing to update all of its Apple Watch models at once. There will be a new low-end Apple Watch SE, a mid-level Series 10 model and an Ultra 3.”

Now, there’s no Ultra 3 but rather a new colorway for Ultra 2, Gurman claims. Make no mistake, as far as I’m concerned, a color change is still a big upgrade—I’d love to see a black Apple Watch Ultra 2—but it seems curious to me. Here’s why.

The Ultra is, as the name suggests, the Watch that leads the pack. If there’s no Ultra 3 then suddenly we have the curious position of Apple Watch Series 10, which is still expected to launch, having a more powerful, more recent processor than the Ultra, which seems counter-intuitive.

Much more likely, I’d have said, is an Ultra 3 with minimal updates apart from the color change and processor update to match Series 10.

And Apple Watch SE could be delayed but I’d have thought not by much. If it is announced at the keynote, I’d expect it in the coming weeks, if not right away.

Gurman has remarkable contacts and great insights, so he’s likely to be right, but it’s a strange state of affairs, nonetheless.

Everything is about to be revealed.

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