With its 10th major version of watchOS to be unveiled at WWDC in June, all eyes will be on Apple Watch to see what’s in store for the popular wearable device. And according to the latest report, Apple is not going to disappoint.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is making “fundamental changes to how the device works” by emphasizing widgets as an important part of the interface. This new widget implementation comb ines old Glances functionality (which disappeared in watchOS 3) and iPhone-style widgets that were introduced in iOS 14. The rumor is similar to a recent render shared by Analyst941 on Twitter.
The user interface would be similar to that of the Siri watch face, which displays relevant information based on your location, time of day, and more. Gurman reports that a set of widgets will appear on the screen and the crown button is used to cycle through them, with dynamically updated information being displayed. Gurman also points out that this new watchOS UI is similar to the Smart Stack in iOS and iPadOS.
The change is a major departure from the app-based UI currently in use, and Gurman is considering the possibility that Apple could make it an optional UI for the user “at least initially”, which seems imply that Apple wants to make this user interface the standard in the future, but also does not want to confuse users accustomed to the watchOS interface.
Gurman points out that watchOS apps have not caught on, with “fewer than 1 million monthly users in the region, Apple revealed, compared to 101 million on the iPhone.” I always thought the app-based UI was inefficient for the Apple Watch. Navigating between apps to get what you need is a hassle on a device with such a small screen. Most people use the Apple Watch for quick access to data, and a widget-based user interface that provides easy access to multiple data points seems like a better solution.
Last week, Gurman reported that Apple was working on a project codenamed “Quartz” that will be an “AI coach” for health and wellness that works on the iPhone and Apple Watch. This service is planned for next year, although it is possible that Apple could preview it at WWDC, but Gurman said that Apple could also decide to delay the unveiling of the project.
