It's amazing how Apple sells people pretty much the same Apple Watch design year after year, adding a feature here and there but changing the look very little. That's fine, too — no one needs to buy a new watch every year — but it does make the annual upgrade kind of boring.
But there is something rumored on the horizon that could revitalize things: the plastic Apple Watch SE. I found the rumor intriguing last month when 'Bloomberg's Mark Gurman let it gobut I haven't thought much about it since then. However, Today he wrote Him Switched on Subscribers to the newsletter said that Apple is using plastic to make the watch “more kid-friendly,” adding that this “could allow for a better variety of colors.” So, they got it. There’s a chance this could be the most exciting update to the Apple Watch in years.
Look, the Apple Watch is a great-looking device. I even like the colors Apple uses for it. But I’ve gotten a little tired of the same variations on a muted color palette for years. Something more like black. Silver. Maybe one that’s a little pink. And Starlight (aka silver, but tinted an elusive shade of yellow). Product Red is the only option if you want something bolder.
In other ways, Apple has been experimenting with colors, resulting in some great-looking iMacs. And some of the more colorful non-Pro iPhones have been a delight — consider the seafoam green iPhone 12 mini. I had this phone and still think about it, more than I care to admit. Imagine what might come of Apple’s decision to make the Watch SE more kid-friendly. I’m sure it won’t be the searing greens, oranges, and yellows of ’90s Nickelodeon (oh god, would I buy that, though), but something like those mid-cycle iPhone refreshes in purple or banana yellow might not be out of the question at all.
The only problem is, this is the SE we’re talking about: It’s a great smartwatch in a lot of ways, but it’s missing some things that are hard to say goodbye to once you jump on the mainline “Series” watch bandwagon. Overall, I’d take or leave the extra health sensors, but I don’t think I could give up the faster on-device Siri or the double-tap gesture on my Series 9. But add one or both of those features to the Watch SE and add some eye-catching color options, and who knows, maybe I’m in the market for a cheaper wearable.
