Apple Watch 7 release date could be later this month
A long-drawn-out release
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While theApple Watch 7was unveiled alongside theiPhone 13andiPad mini 6in mid-September, unlike its contemporary products pre-orders never opened and it hasn’t gone on sale yet. We’re still waiting for official news on the matter.
A prolific leaker, Jon Prosser, has weighed in via his websiteFront Page Tech. According to Prosser, lots of insider sources have stated that theApple Watch7 will go on sale “as early as next week” - that means the week commencing October 4.
We’d take this with a pinch of salt, as Prosser has a chequered history of leaks in the past, butAppleTrackstill gives them a 74.6% accuracy rating, and people who have scored far worse on there are still frequently correct.
That date is presumably for when pre-orders will open up, and we’d expect a full release date a week on from that - if Prosser’s ‘next week’ is correct, that’d be the week of October 11.
It’s worth pointing out that Prosser’s wording is quite uncertain, leaving space for the Apple Watch 7 to come out later than we’ve said above. So don’t get your hopes too high, but hopefully the devices will be with us before November.
Analysis: too little, too late?
The Apple Watch 7 doesn’t present a whole world of upgrades from theWatch 6- in fact, we keep forgetting it was announced at all, as it was overshadowed by some of Apple’s other products at the launch event.
The iPad mini (2021) provided loads of upgrades over its 2019 counterpart, and continued Apple’s trend towards making its mid-range slates look like its iPad Pros. That tablet was the scene-stealer of the night, which is why we say we have forgot about the Watch 7.
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In addition, there isn’t long to wait untilBlack Friday Apple Watch dealsstart, as some of the earliest kick into gear in early November. There’s no point buying a brand new wearable now, when you could pick up a very similar one for a bargain price just weeks afterwards.
That’s always the risk of releasing products later in the year, and while Apple’s releases are usually early enough to avoid the clash, in 2020 its devices all launched late and people still ate them up. So it’s probably not something the company is too worried about - but if this was anyone but Apple, it could be an issue.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.
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