A plastic Apple Watch SE is still coming next year

Macworld

One of the few (very few) surprises at Apple’s Glowtime press event was a negative one: only one of the three Apple Watch lines got an update, with the SE and Ultra models left alone. Pre-event rumors had predicted the unveiling of a plastic version of the Apple Watch SE aimed at kids, but it didn’t turn up.

The leakers aren’t quite ready to give up on the idea, however, and the pundit who started the rumor in July is now saying that the plastic SE is set to be released in 2025.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman mentions briefly that this product “remains in development.” He doesn’t specifically explain why it didn’t make the event last week, but notes that the manufacturing teams “have been running into some cost and quality challenges with the shift to plastic,” and says it may launch next year.

The gist of the original rumor was that, by switching from aluminum to plastic in various bright colors, Apple hoped to both lower costs and appeal to younger customers. Gurman says the latter is more apposite than ever, as schools look to ban smartphones and kids and parents look to find acceptable alternatives. Unlocking the school market would be a big win for the Apple Watch.

Other than the plastic material, Gurman says the next SE will also get a processor jump.