Updated: Monday, August 10, 2026
Apple is weighing a sweeping redesign of its smartwatch lineup, including screenless models and new display shapes, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. He published the report in his Power On newsletter on Sunday, August 9, 2026, describing an overhaul driven by the industry’s shift toward screen-free devices and other new form factors. The move follows fast growth in smart rings and fitness bands from rivals such as Oura, Whoop and Google’s Fitbit. Apple has not confirmed the plans. The Globe and Mail
Key takeaways
- Apple is studying screenless, round and multi-size Apple Watch concepts
- A circular model is considered unlikely to ship
- New price tiers above Ultra and below SE are under review
- Series 12 and Ultra 4 in September are modest updates with a faster chip
- Wearables revenue grew 6% last quarter while smart rings grew far faster
- Nothing is confirmed; Apple has stayed silent
What happened?
Direct answer: Bloomberg reported on August 9 that Apple’s industrial design team has spent roughly a year studying a broader rethink of the Apple Watch, including versions with no screen at all.
The team has evaluated concepts that include round displays, screenless devices, and both premium and budget models beyond today’s lineup. Gurman compared the ambition to the “revolutionary design change” represented by the foldable iPhone, calling it something that transforms the product for a new era. AppleInsiderMacRumors
Nothing has been finalised. Gurman noted the design team has not decided what to actually do yet, and that any new direction will not arrive soon. World Today Journal
Key facts at a glance
- Reported by: Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News (Power On newsletter, August 9, 2026)
- Company: Apple Inc., Cupertino, California
- Concepts under study: screenless wearables, round displays, new screen sizes and types
- Price tiers explored: models above the Ultra and Hermès editions, and options below the Apple Watch SE
- Near-term products: Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, expected in September
- Status: exploratory; no Apple confirmation
What is Apple actually considering?
Direct answer: Four ideas stand out a display-free tracker, a round watch face, new screen sizes, and a wider price ladder that stretches both cheaper and more expensive.
A watch without a screen
Apple is taking the resurgence of screenless fitness bands and smart rings seriously, and is weighing Apple Watch-style devices with no display at all. These would compete directly with recovery-focused trackers rather than with traditional watches. MacRumors
A round Apple Watch
The company has also considered a circular display, though Gurman cautioned that such a device is unlikely to reach stores. The square case has defined the product since 2015. MacRumors
New price tiers
Apple is said to be studying super-premium models positioned above the current Ultra and Hermès versions, plus cheaper options that would sit below the Apple Watch SE. iClarified
A smart ring that never shipped
Apple has filed patents in the smart ring field repeatedly, but a finished Apple Ring has continued to elude the company. World Today Journal
Why is Apple rethinking the Apple Watch now?
Direct answer: The Apple Watch still leads its category, but growth in Apple’s wearables division has cooled while lighter, screenless rivals expand quickly.
Apple Watch sales rose 21% in the first quarter and the device remains the top-selling smartwatch, yet Apple’s Wearables, Home and Accessories business has struggled to produce meaningful growth — one reason the lineup is under review. AppleInsider
Apple’s own filings show the pattern. In the quarter ended June 2026, Wearables, Home and Accessories revenue reached $7.883 billion, up from $7.404 billion a year earlier. Total company revenue that quarter was $109.4 billion, up 16%. The wearables unit grew at roughly a third of the company’s overall rate. BloombergMacDailyNews
Chief executive Tim Cook told investors the wearables installed base hit an all-time high, that more than half of Apple Watch buyers were new to the product, and that US customer satisfaction stood at 95%.
Those figures come from Apple’s audited quarterly statements and earnings call, published through Apple’s investor relations newsroom — the most authoritative source available for company performance.
What does the smartwatch market look like today?
Direct answer: Smartwatches remain far larger by volume, but smart rings are the faster-growing category, and that gap is shaping Apple’s thinking.
IDC counted 163 million smartwatch shipments in 2025 against 4.3 million smart rings. Even so, ring shipments were on pace for a 49% jump that year, against roughly 6% growth for smartwatches, according to IDC data shared with Bloomberg. VoraGrand View Research
The trend has continued. IDC projects 4.9 million smart rings in 2026, up 12.8% year over year, with Oura anchoring the category. Global wearable shipments totalled 145.7 million units in the first quarter of 2026, up 4.3%. XtendedView
Competition has broadened well beyond rings. Google recently launched the Fitbit Air, while the Oura Ring has become a popular choice for people looking to move away from smartwatches. Whoop, Samsung’s Galaxy Ring and Ultrahuman also target the same buyers. MacRumors
IDC and Counterpoint Research are independent market research firms whose shipment trackers are widely cited by manufacturers, investors and regulators.
What is coming in September 2026?
Direct answer: This year’s watches are refinements, not redesigns. The bigger changes come later.
Gurman reports the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will continue a trend of modest upgrades, with under-the-hood improvements including a meaningful performance increase likely a new chip, since the past two generations reused the S10, itself largely unchanged from the S9 introduced in 2023. New colour and band options plus health and fitness upgrades are also expected. MacRumors
Gurman has also said there will be no Apple Watch SE 4 this year, that bigger changes are one to two years away, and that Apple continues developing blood sugar detection with a goal of releasing it by 2030. The Motley Fool
A ceramic case is expected to return either this year or in 2027. Apple first offered ceramic with the Series 2 in September 2016 at $1,249, using compressed zirconia and alumina marketed as four times harder than stainless steel, before dropping the Edition line with the Series 4 in 2018. MacRumors
The launch event is widely expected on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and Apple’s first foldable iPhone. MacRumors
Timeline: how the Apple Watch got here
| Date | Event |
| April 2015 | The original Apple Watch goes on sale |
| September 2016 | Ceramic Apple Watch Edition debuts with Series 2 |
| 2018 | Ceramic and the Edition tier disappear with Series 4 |
| 2023 | S9 chip arrives; performance stays flat for years afterwards |
| 2024–2025 | Smart rings and screenless bands gain mainstream traction |
| July 30, 2026 | Apple reports $7.88 billion in wearables revenue for the June quarter |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Bloomberg reports the Apple Watch redesign study |
| Sept 1, 2026 | John Ternus is due to become chief executive |
| Sept 2026 | Series 12 and Ultra 4 expected |
Official response from Apple
Apple has not commented publicly on the design work. The company does not confirm unannounced products, and the reporting rests on unnamed people familiar with its plans.
Regulators have touched the category recently, however. MacRumors reported that the European Commission adopted new exemptions to its Batteries Regulation, freeing the Apple Watch and AirPods from a requirement to offer user-replaceable batteries. MacRumors
Expert analysis
Direct answer: Analysts read the report as Apple protecting a mature product line before rivals redefine it.
The strategic logic is straightforward. Apple sells the leading smartwatch but competes in a category where innovation has slowed and buyers now have cheaper, lighter alternatives that track sleep and recovery without a screen.
Counterpoint Research data indicates Apple accounted for roughly 90% of Edge AI-capable smartwatch shipments in the first quarter of 2026 a dominant position in on-device intelligence that a screenless companion product could extend rather than cannibalise. The Motley Fool
Gurman’s track record matters here. MacRumors describes him as a Bloomberg reporter with more than a decade of Apple coverage whose reports are closely watched for their accuracy and often set expectations early in the rumour cycle. 9to5Mac
The timing is also political. Leadership changes hands within weeks, and a new chief executive typically wants a signature product direction.
Latest updates
- August 9: Bloomberg publishes the Power On report on the Apple Watch rethink
- August 10: Coverage spreads across Apple-focused outlets including MacRumors, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac and Cult of Mac
- The same newsletter reported preparations for Apple’s September event, personnel moves ahead of John Ternus taking over as CEO, and details of a scrapped Apple Upgrade idea The Globe and Mail
- No official Apple statement has been issued
What happens next?
Expect an incremental September. The redesign work, if it ships at all, sits one to two years out and may never reach stores in the forms described.
Three signals are worth watching: whether Apple revives a high-end material tier, whether an SE-class or sub-SE device appears in 2027, and whether Apple finally launches a non-wrist wearable.
FAQ
Is Apple making a screenless Apple Watch?
Apple is exploring the idea, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Its design team has evaluated Apple Watch-style devices without displays to compete with screenless fitness bands and smart rings. No product has been confirmed.
Will there be a round Apple Watch?
Apple has considered a circular display, but Gurman says such a device is unlikely to reach stores. The square case has defined the Apple Watch since its launch in April 2015.
When will the redesigned Apple Watch launch?
No date exists. Gurman indicates significant changes are likely one to two years away, and the design team has not settled on a direction. September 2026 models are incremental updates instead.
What is coming with the Apple Watch Series 12?
Expect a faster chip, health and fitness tracking improvements, and new colour and band options. A ceramic case may also return, either this year or in 2027, according to Bloomberg reporting.
Is Apple making a smart ring?
Apple has filed patents related to smart rings but has never shipped one. Rivals including Oura, Samsung and Ultrahuman currently lead a category IDC expects to reach 4.9 million units in 2026.
Why is Apple changing its smartwatch strategy?
Wearables growth has slowed while screenless trackers expand quickly. Apple’s Wearables, Home and Accessories revenue rose 6% last quarter, well below the company’s 16% overall growth rate.
Who is Apple’s new CEO?
John Ternus is due to succeed Tim Cook on September 1, 2026, with Cook moving to executive chairman. Ternus previously led hardware engineering for iPhone, iPad, Mac and AirPods.
Where was this reported?
Bloomberg News published the report in Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter on August 9, 2026. Gurman has covered Apple for over a decade and is widely cited for accurate supply-chain reporting.
