At Apple’s Glowtime event earlier this week, there were a host of new releases from the iPhone 16 range to the AirPods 4 and the Apple Watch Series 10.
However, for tech enthusiasts, there were a few products which they reckon should have been a part of the announcements, but weren’t. Below are a few of them.
One of the big disappointments for Apple fans was that Apple did not announce its Watch Ultra 3.
Even Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg analyst who always has his finger on Apple’s pulse, claimed just a few days before the event that “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.” In all likelihood, we might have to wait until next September for the Ultra 3 to debut.
Next, rumours were also flying around ahead of the event about a third-generation Apple Watch SE that could be even cheaper this time around.
Again, Gurman claimed in July 2024 that the Apple Watch SE could be made from a new material – plastic. “One idea that the company has tested is swapping out the aluminum shell in favour of rigid plastic,” said Gurman. He did claim just ahead of the event that the SE 3 had been delayed. Whether that launch is now expected to coincide with an anticipated iPhone SE unveiling in 2025 is yet uncertain.
Sticking with the Apple Watch, another thing that we did not see at the event was a new sporty band system for the Series 10.
Gurman had reportedly been told that the existing band system takes up too much space, space that could be better used for bigger batteries or other tech that could improve the Apple Watch. Hence, the company was believed to be considering a magnetic band attachment system.
Apple leaker and prototype collector Kosutami also claimed that the next generation of Apple Watch would feature a redesign that’d render existing Watch bands incompatible. That wasn’t the case at this week’s Glowtime event.
Tech enthusiasts have also focused their attention on the iPad mini which was last updated in 2021. Anticipated updates include that that can bring it closer to the modern iPad collection including support for the Apple Pencil Pro and a landscape-orientated selfie camera. Also, the iPad Mini 7 could feature the same A18 chipset as the iPhone 16, along with 128GB of base storage to match the iPad Air. Apart from the iPad mini, there was also a rumoured update to the entry-level iPad, the iPad 11. Gurman claims that the company is working out “how to make its production costs lower on the entry-level model”.
While the iPad Mini 6 was launched in September 2021, and the iPad 10 was revealed in October 2022, most other entry-level iPads have launched in September, leading many to have wrongly speculated that their successors would make an appearance this week.
Lastly, one of the other new products that we didn’t see Apple unveil this week was the leather alternative to the Finewoven iPhone case. With the launch of the iPhone 15 range in 2023, Apple discarded the leather case iPhone accessory and instead introduced Finewoven cases that Apple described as offering a durable micro-twill finish with a soft suede-like feel.
The Finewoven cases though, according to users, deteriorated quickly and so this time around Apple fans expected Finewoven to be replaced by the leather cases. Instead of leather cases though, Apple decided to offer cheaper Silicone and Plastic cases for the latest iPhones.
