With the
Apple Watch 2 expected to
Launch in the second half of 2016, supply chain informant
DigiTimes reports that Samsung and other overseas manufacturers have secured component
Orders for the next-generation device.
Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering will fulfill the majority of system-on-a-chip production, while Amkor Tech**logy and STATS ChipPAC will share a portion of remaining orders, according to the report.
Meanwhile, additional Taiwanese supplier Kinsus Interconnect Tech**logy is said to have secured
Apple Watch 2 substrate orders, and Samsung Electronics will reportedly fabricate the
Apple Watch 2's processor, consisting of mobile DRAM, NAND flash, and other chips. Both Kinsus and Samsung provide components for the original
Apple Watch, which is powered by Apple's custom-designed S1 chip.
Previous reports indicated that Quanta Computer will likely remain the
key Apple Watch 2 manufacturer. The supplier reportedly
began trial production of the second-generation
Watch in January, in time for a purported late-second-quarter
Launch around June. Volume shipments were said to begin in the third quarter, which could be any point between early July and late September.
Opportunities for
Apple to introduce a second-generation
Apple Watch include its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (
WWDC) in June, or its annual iPhone introduction event in September. The original
Apple Watch was
an**unced in early September 2014 and
released in late April 2015, suggesting an elongated 14 to 19 month release cycle between models that may help avoid consumer exhaustion.
Apple analyst Brian White recently speculated that a
20% to 40% thinner Apple Watch 2 could be unveiled by June, possibly at WWDC, but his track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming plans is far from perfect.
More reliable KGI Securities analyst
Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the
Apple Watch 2 will enter
mass production in the third quarter of 2016, in line with a fall
Launch alongside the
iPhone 7.
Few details are k**wn about the
Apple Watch 2 beyond a June 2015 report that said it will feature a
FaceTime video camera and expanded Wi-Fi capabilities, while new bands and finishes are always a possibility. Kuo believes the
Apple Watch 2 will feature
mostly internal improvements, and possibly mi**r form factor changes, with a
More complete redesign of the device **t arriving until 2017.
Related Roundups:
Apple Watch,
watchOS 2
Tags:
Samsung,
digitimes.com,
Apple Watch 2
Buyer's Guide:
Apple Watch (Caution)
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