The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is rumored to be coming with 3D printed parts
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It seems like we’re not going to have to wait much longer to see theApple Watch Ultra 2: one of the more reliableAppletipsters has predicted that it’s coming later this year, and that it’ll contain some 3D printed parts.
This comes from analystMing-Chi Kuo(viaMacRumors), and it sounds as though the parts in question are going to be made of titanium. According to Kuo, Apple is “actively adopting 3D printing technology” and may use it in other products in the future too.
We’re talking several levels above thebest 3D printertechnology available to consumers of course: at an industrial scale, the move could save Apple money on production costs and speed up the manufacturing process at the same time.
Kuo mentions “mechanical parts” for 3D printing – going off the originalApple Watch Ultra, that would be the Digital Crown, the Side Button, and the Action Button. These parts are currently manufactured using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) process.
Watch this space
As interesting as Apple’s reported manufacturing decisions are, they don’t really tell us much more about what to expect from theApple WatchUltra 2 – though there’s maybe a chance that lower production costs will mean a lower retail price.
The original Apple Watch Ultra certainly isn’t cheap, with a starting price of $799 / £849 / AU$1,229. For comparison, you can pick up the standardApple Watch 8for a relatively cheap starting price of $399 / £419 / AU$629 – about half the price.
There has been talk that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is going to show up in September, alongside theiPhone 15and theApple Watch 9. From what Ming-Chi Kuo has added here, that looks like a safe bet at this point.
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Unfortunately, the upgrade looks like it’s going to bea relatively minor one, with a switch to a slightly better display technology one of very few improvements that have been mooted. In fact, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 might bethe upgrade to wait for.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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