Tech

The Apple Watch is reportedly getting a birthday makeover

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Apple is expected to make its smartwatches thinner and give them bigger screens. Apple
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The Apple Watch is about to turn 10, so Apple is planning a birthday revamp, including larger displays and thinner builds, Bloomberg reported.

Both versions of the new Series 10 watches will have screens similar to the large displays found on the Apple Watch Ultra, the report said.

The revamped watches are also expected to contain a new chip that may permit some AI enhancements later on.

Last month, Apple pulled back the curtain on its generative-AI plans with Apple Intelligence.

It hopes the artificial-intelligence features will prove alluring enough to persuade consumers to buy new Apple products.

The announcement has been generally well received by Wall Street.

Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote in a Monday note that the "iPhone 16 AI-driven upgrade could represent a golden upgrade cycle for Cupertino."

"We believe AI technology being introduced into the Apple ecosystem will bring monetization opportunities on both the services as well as iPhone/hardware front and adds $30 to $40 per share," he added.

Apple's stock closed on Friday at just over $226 a share, up 22% this year and valuing the company at $3.47 trillion. That puts it just behind Microsoft, which was worth $3.48 trillion at Friday's close. The tech giants have been vying for the title of the world's most valuable company in recent months — with the chipmaker Nvidia briefing claiming the crown last month.

Apple WWDC 2024
Updates for watchOS, which were revealed last month at Apple's WWDC.  Apple

Apple also announced some software updates for the watch at its Worldwide Developers Conference last month.

The latest version of the device's software, watchOS 11, emphasizes fitness and health, introducing tools that allow users to rate workouts and adjust effort ratings.

WatchOS 11 will also use machine learning to curate the best photos for users' displays.

Apple has previously used product birthdays to release new versions of devices.

The iPhone X's release marked the 10th anniversary of the smartphone. However, it's not clear exactly when Apple plans to release the revamped watches, Bloomberg said.

The company announced the Apple Watch in September 2014, with CEO Tim Cook calling it "the most personal product we've ever made."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside normal working hours.

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Beatrice Nolan was a tech reporter on the business news team in the UK. She joined Insider in January 2022 as a fellow on Business Insider's careers desk. Beatrice covered tech and the future of work, with a focus on artificial intelligence. Some of her stories and early experiments with ChatGPT are widely cited. Beatrice has also discussed her work covering AI trends on panels and radio shows, including NPR.She was based in Business Insider's London office and graduated from the University of  York with a bachelor's degree in English.Featured Articles:Artists say AI image generators are copying their style to make thousands of new images — and it's completely out of their control.ChatGPT was a black swan eventFinland is the world's happiest country, but Finns say we're confusing happiness for something elseThe world is splitting between those who use ChatGPT to get better, smarter, richer — and everyone elseThis man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend. He wasn't prepared for the backlash.ChatGPT has only been around for 2 months and is causing untold chaosTwo professors who say they caught students cheating on essays with ChatGPT explain why AI plagiarism can be hard to proveChatGPT wrote college application essays. Admissions professionals said they passed for essays written by students but wouldn't have a chance at any top colleges.College professors are considering creative ways to stop students from using AI to cheatChatGPT wrote my cover letters. Here's how recruiters responded.