More than a year has passed since the Apple Watch was released and attention is turning to the next wearable the tech giant has in store.

According to Wareable, analysts reckon more than 12 million watches have been shifted so far, which would make Apple the market leader in the smartwatch sector – despite grumbles from some that the device has been a flop.

We’re expecting to see a second generation device at some stage this year – possibly even in the middle of June – and the Apple Watch 2 rumour mill is in full swing. So what will Apple introduce to silence the critics?

Design

MacRumors has previously picked up two reports regarding the Apple Watch 2’s design, both with very different ideas.

The first note, issued by Apple analyst Brian White, of Wall Street firm Drexel Hamilton, makes for the most exciting reading. He believes the next wearable could be “20 per cent to 40 per cent thinner”.

However, a contrasting report by Ming Chi-Kuo, who is renowned for his accuracy, says fans should not expect a big design overhaul.

The watch will adopt the same upgrade cycle as the iPhone, he says, with “S” models simply featuring hardware updates released in alternate years to the major developments. As such, he believes the Apple Watch 2 will come with very minor design changes, but will boast brand new specs underneath.

Hardware and new features

One of the biggest hardware additions could be the inclusion of a FaceTime camera, a rumour that has been peddled as far back as last June. 9 to 5 Mac says a small camera capable of recording video could be embedded into the top bezel, allowing wearers to answer calls from their wrists.

Pocket Lint cites rumours that the watch will get a faster wi-fi chipset to handle more data transfer and make for more accurate location services. A bigger battery made possible through a thinner display could also be on the cards.

However, one of the biggest rumoured features is cellular connectivity, with improved functions when the watch isn’t paired to an iPhone. MacRumors picks up an article published in the New York Times claiming buyers will be able to choose models with 3G or 4G connectivity.

Users would have to pay for a data plan, but Apple Watch would be able to receive messages away from a wi-fi connection and without being paired to an iPhone, alongside a host of other features, such as GPS functions and streaming Apple Music.

Software

Trusted Reviews say it’s likely the Apple Watch 2 could come with a brand new iteration of the firm’s watch operating system. WatchOS 2 launched in September 2015, so expecting WatchOS 3 at some point this year isn’t radical. The site adds that our first look at the new system could come at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next month.

Apple has also hinted at the future of its software, issuing a blog post in April telling developers that from 1 June, all Watch apps submitted to the App Store must be native – created for the Watch and the Watch only, rather than built with iPhone support in mind.

Reveal

Some of the earliest Apple Watch 2 rumours centred on a reveal at some point early in 2016 -specifically April, given that the first watch, which was introduced alongside the iPhone 6 in September 2014, hit stores the following April.

Apple did pencil in a keynote event for that month, but the device did not emerge. Instead, we were treated to the iPhone SE and a 9.7ins iPad Pro.

TechRadar points out two dates that have likely been pencilled in for the Apple Watch 2 launch – including the potential for a reveal next month.

The first possibility is a debut at the conference on 13 June, alongside a reveal of iOS 10. Or, says the site, it could be revealed in the autumn alongside the iPhone 7 – Apple’s next flagship handset is expected to debut in September.

Is an Apple Watch S coming instead?

Although the release cycle for the line is unclear, one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business believes the company could mimic the routine used for the iPhone.

Apple releases a different numbered iPhone every two years and bridges the gap with an “S” model, usually featuring bumped-up internal specification. KGI analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, who is something of a specialist when it comes to nailing Apple’s future plans, expects the same to happen with the Apple Watch.

According to AppleInsider, Kuo is anticipating the next wearable to feature “spec improvements with limited changes to form factor design” and says those hoping for an entirely overhauled smartwatch will have to wait until 2017 at the earliest.

AppleInsider points out that rumours of a new Apple Watch with no form factor changes have been circulating since last summer, with reports that a bigger battery and brighter display are coming first starting in July – just two months after the release of the debut watch.

The battle ahead

Apple Watch is facing a backlash of indifference from app developers who are losing interest in the wearable gadget. The brief flurry of enthusiasm that greeted the product on launch is a distant memory for Apple, which has witnessed a steep plunge in new apps.

A spokesman for mobile database Realm told The Drum: “On a weekly basis we’re seeing very few Watch apps, compared to iOS apps. For every 1,000 new iOS apps being built, there are 10 tvOS apps and maybe 1 Watch app.”

This is partly because Apple has limited app developers’ access to many parts of the smartwatch’s functionality. But it is also due to the fact that many developers regard the watch as a mere companion piece to the iPhone, increasing pressure on Apple to dramatically improve its next instalment of the device. It is believed that the updated Apple Watch, sporting independent apps, will be ready to be unveiled as early as the middle of June.

Meanwhile, in a separate note of apathy, Newsweek‘s Winston Ross has looked back over his year owning an Apple Watch, which he bought in the expectation it would change his life. “And in some ways it did!” he writes, adding: “But mostly it didn’t.”

Apple Watch 2 could break free of the iPhone

26 April

Apple Watch 2 could come with a big new feature, if a rumour floated by the Wall Street Journal is to be believed.

In a report rounding up how the wearable has fared in its first year on sale, the magazine suggests that the next generation wearable could come with cellular network connectivity as one of its flagship additions, allowing the device to function free from the iPhone in a number of new ways.

One of the “biggest gripes” wearers have with the current device is that “it’s not very useful away from your iPhone”, says Engadget, and is heavily reliant on being paired with one of Apple’s handsets to provide basic functions such as receiving messages.

Packing cellular data into the device means it would behave more like existing cellular smartwatches and allow wearers to “leave your phone at home while continuing to get notifications and run apps”.

It’s not expected that the watch will completely jettison the iPhone – functions such as downloading apps could require smartphone pairing – but the overall package would be a device with greater independence.

However, wearers would have to be willing to pay for the privilege. MacRumorssays the feature would “undoubtedly” require an additional data plan on top of the price of the device, a plan that is likely separate from those they may have on their iOS devices. However, the ability to use services such as Maps, Apple Music and make phone calls without the need for an iPhone nearby “could outweigh the cons for some users”.

Forbes thinks differently. Apple has recently collaborated with other tech giants such as Samsung and Microsoft to create a new standard for eSIM technology that will eventually allow users to share their data plans across multiple devices, meaning the watch could share a data network with a user’s iPhone or iPad.

Allied to the new connectivity features, a faster processor is expected, too, and a front-facing FaceTime camera has been a longstanding rumour.

As to when the Apple Watch 2 will appear, current rumours flip between it debuting at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this June or alongside the iPhone 7 in September.

Apple Watch 2: Has Siri leaked the reveal date?

22 April

Apple Watch 2 is expected to arrive at some point this year – and its reveal date may have been leaked by a most peculiar source.

Two possible times for the wearable’s launch have already been eyed up by fans: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June and the expected September set-piece event for the introduction of the iPhone 7.

More recently, analysts have started weighing in on the issue, with several also touting this summer for a reveal of the wearable.

According to MacRumors, a previous report from Apple analyst Brian indicated that an Apple Watch refresh is “likely to occur within the next 2-3 months”.

If this is true, the Worldwide Developers Conference seems like a likely stage – and if so, we now have dates as to when to expect the watch to emerge, courtesy of Siri.

The International Business Times has picked up reports that Apple’s virtual reality assistant told users the event would be held 13-17 June, announcing the news before Apple released the date publicly.

This could mean that the next Apple Watch could be weeks away.

Apple didn’t allude to any hardware introductions when it formally unveiled the conference’s date, focusing instead on software for iPhones, iPads, its computers, Apple TV and WatchOS.

But the device could be a surprise package, much like the current version, which Apple boss Tim Cook introduced in 2014 using Steve Jobs’s famous “one more thing”.

Apple Watch 2: Suppliers get ready for summer launch

14 April

Apple Watch 2 is on its way, according to a report from supply chain insidersDigiTimes.

The site says component suppliers have received orders from Apple ahead of a launch not much later this year.

Picking up on the report, MacRumors adds that Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering will be responsible for the vast majority of the chipsets, with a couple of other operations sharing a smaller portion of the orders

Samsung is said to be in on the act, too. It provided components for the original wearable released in 2014 and will, according to reports, make the Apple Watch 2’s processor.

MacRumors adds that Quanta Computer will likely remain the key Apple Watch manufacturer and that the firm may have done a trial production run in January.

That suggests a June launch is a distinct possibility, with further supplies of the smartwatches hitting the shelves a little later on.  June is also the date for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

However, there are still reports that the Apple Watch 2 will be revealed in September, alongside the next generation of iPhone handsets.

Rumours as to specs say the wearable could get a FaceTime camera and expanded wi-fi capabilities. One report believes the Apple Watch 2 may be up to 40 per cent thinner than the original, although reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has since said Apple will not completely overhaul the new wearable and that a redesign won’t be seen until 2017.

Apple Watch 2: No major redesign this year

13 April

In contrast to recent rumours, respected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research note hinting that the Apple Watch 2 won’t be coming until late this year.

The note, obtained and analysed by MacRumors, also says shipments will decline 25 per cent year-on-year in comparison to 2015, dropping to an expected 7.5 million units in 2016, despite the expected introduction of a new model.

Kuo says the smartwatch market is still too “immature” and the first generation Apple Watch, which should be the only Apple wearable on sale for most of 2016, lacks a few “key features”, such as a killer app and limited battery life. Its dependency on the iPhone is also a huge limiting factor.

In his notes, Kuo expects the Apple Watch 2 to go into mass production in the third quarter of 2016, tying the device up for a reveal alongside the iPhone 7 in September. Rumours earlier this year suggested Apple was to debut the device at its March keynote, but most have now settled on early autumn as the most likely stage.

In addition, the analyst details his expectations of the next wearable, with some predictions that could disappoint fans looking forward to a major overhaul. The Apple Watch 2 is set to take up the same upgrade cycle as the iPhone and changes could be limited to the internals, rather than a brand new design.

MacRumors says that some “minor form factor” changes could be on the way but that overall, the next Apple Watch will not look too different to the present model. This is “one of Kuo’s biggest reasons for declining Apple Watch shipments in 2016”, it adds.

Kuo’s analysis flies in the face of a research note issued last week, saying Apple will introduce the Apple Watch 2 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with a completely different design which is up to 40 per cent thinner than the present model.

However, both analysts believe the next smartwatch will get a FaceTime camera and an expansion of wi-fi capabilities, as well as some new model introductions.

The International Business Times is less convinced, though. It believes that even these upgrades may have to wait until 2017 and a brand new design