Next-gen Apple Watch to reportedly ditch physical buttons
Apple is reportedly making some physical changes to its Apple Watch design sometime in the next year.
The wrist wearable's existing button and digital crown could be tweaked as soon as this fall, according to "a source with direct knowledge of Apple's plans" speaking to Fast Company. In place of clicking buttons, the next-gen Apple Watch will use touch-sensitive pads designed to pick up on finger movements.
The move would mirror Apple's shift with the iPhone 7, which embraced a solid-state design that also used touch-sensitive pads in favor of traditional buttons.
While the crown -- what most people would think of as a watch's side-mounted dial -- will still rotate, both it and the button that sits near it will no longer click down. The crown will still rotate, but pressing either "button" will produce a faint vibration, similar to Apple's other solid-state designs that employ haptic feedback.
The change to a solid-state design comes with a few benefits. For one, no more buttons means fewer places for water to sneak inside the device when it gets wet. Removing bulky mechanical parts (relatively speaking) also frees up space inside the Apple Watch for a larger battery, according to the source.
Fast Company's report suggests that the change could be formalized in an announcement as early as this fall, though it might not happen until the 2019 Watch is revealed.
Topics Apple Apple Watch
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
