What you need to know
- Apple announced watchOS 9 earlier today.
- Apple also rolled out the list of Apple Watches that will be compatible with the latest version.
- The Apple Watch Series 3 will not support watchOS 9.
Earlier today, Apple announced watchOS 9 and potentially killed off one generation of Apple Watch.
watchOS 9 added a number of notable features for Apple Watch users including new metrics, views, and training experiences in the Workout app, sleep stages in the Sleep app, AFib History, and a new Medications app.
"Users around the world love Apple Watch for helping them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the day, and better manage their health," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "This fall, watchOS 9 takes the Apple Watch experience to the next level with scientifically validated insights across fitness, sleep, and heart health, while providing users more creative ways to make their Apple Watch their own."
The company also released the list of the Apple Watches that will be compatible with watchOS 9 and revealed that there is one watch that the Apple is still selling that will not be compatible with the upcoming software version: Apple Watch Series 3.
The Apple Watch Series 3, despite its age (we're on the Apple Watch Series 7 already), has remained in Apple's lineup as the most affordable Apple Watch customers could purchase at a $199 starting price. While that price is nice, it has also come at the cost of poorer performance, worse battery life, and fewer features than the company's newer models.
Today's news is, in a way, Apple's own acknowledgment that the Apple Watch Series 3 needs to go. If the company drops the model from its lineup when it announces the next generation of Apple Watch in the fall, the Apple Watch SE will likely take its place as the cheapest Apple Watch you can get your hands on.
That's a good thing. Anyone who tells you to buy an Apple Watch Series 3 right now is someone you don't need in your life.
