If you are a regular reader of my articles, you already know that I feel particular rejection for the Apple Watch Series 3.
Apple generally maintains a high standard of design and performance across its product line, but the Apple Watch Series 3 is the exception, with a dated design and sluggish performance that is, at heart, very un-Apple.
It baffles me that the Series 3 is still officially on sale when it was originally released in 2017 and, even more so, it retails for $219 / $4,999 MXN, a price similar to the smart watches like the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro.
However, the latest developments in the Apple Watch Series saga mean that whatever your feelings about this smart watch cheap, right now you should avoid it at all costs.
The source of this revelation? Apple itself. The company announced the next watchOS 9 update at WWDC 2022, with key features like improved fitness tracking, comprehensive sleep tracking, updated notification system, and more.
This is a very exciting update for all Apple Watch owners, whether they use it to track their fitness or just to check notifications.
Of course, for all Apple Watch owners except Apple Watch Series 3.
You see, Apple quietly confirmed that watchOS 9 will drop support for the Apple Watch Series 3, which means it will stick with watchOS 8 forever.
While that’s no surprise (it was rumored months before WWDC), it does mean that Apple is in a weird scenario where it’s selling a product that it’ll be phasing out in a few months when watchOS 9 is released.
After all, Apple won’t want to sell a smart watch so slow that it can’t even run the latest OS updates. Rumors suggest that several new Apple Watch models will arrive later this year.
It’s also no surprise that the only mention on Apple’s website when you want to buy the Apple Watch Series 3 is in the comparison chart at the bottom of the page where it says it’s ” compatible with watchOS 8 and earlier”.
It’s pretty easy to miss it unless you’re specifically looking for it. There is also no reference to this on the product listing page.
Apple customers deserve to be made clear that the smart watch they’re going to buy is sold out from day one, especially when Apple is known for its software updates. Software long-term.
After all, that’s part of the reason Apple’s technology is so prime and why it continues to hold its value much longer than most of its rivals.
So not only does the Apple Watch Series 3 lag behind the rest of Apple’s watch collection with its outdated design and sluggish performance, it won’t offer new buyers a single update to the future operating systems.
If you are looking for a new portable and the Apple Watch Series 3 seems like a tempting option for your budget, I would just recommend waiting three months for what I imagine will be a refreshed entry-level Apple Watch with a few more years of updates.
Original article published in Tech Advisor.
