Apple Watch SE: if you haven’t wanted to buy a smartwatch for a long time, now is the time

This story is part Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple headquarters.

Ever since Apple launched its first smartwatch back in 2015, the Apple Watch has been highly regarded among a wide variety of demographic groups, although its price has made it unaffordable for some. That changed on Tuesday when the company announced the Watch SE, a more affordable watch for those whose budgets were not previously limited to owning an Apple smartwatch.

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With the Watch SE starting at $ 279 (£ 269, AU $ 429), Apple aims to reach a new audience of smartwatch owners, including kids. New Apple Watch family customization feature allows people to connect multiple watches to one iPhone, and Apple clearly hopes that parents can be persuaded to invest in smartwatches for their beloved siblings.

While it looks a lot like the current Series 3 watch, the Watch SE contains a more powerful processor than Apple’s older watches. Series 3 dates from 2017, so customers can be confident that Apple is doing more than just reselling an old product; the company has made a much-needed internal update to the gadget to keep it relevant in 2020 and beyond.

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Apple introduces Apple Watch SE at a lower price

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As you’d expect from a less expensive model, the SE doesn’t have all of the advanced features of more expensive Apple watches, such as the FDA-approved ECG app, but it still has a range of fitness and fall tracking capabilities – a detection feature introduced in Series 4. They include the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as the new Apple Watch Series 6. The company also promises larger, easier-to-read numbers on its “most advanced” watch display, which is actually 30% larger. than the screen in Series 3.

Apple’s September event is usually an opportunity for the company to showcase its latest iPhones, but with no phones arriving on Tuesday, the watch has been able to take center stage. we expect Apple to unveil iPhone 12 in just a few weeks, but until then the company has come up with a few things to please.

Among Apple’s announcements at Tuesday’s event, the Apple Watch SE showcases the potential to bring a much loved (and hungry) product to a new audience. While seasoned smartwatch owners or those looking for a deeper understanding of their health indicators may still be attracted to the more expensive and premium Apple Watch, the SE can do a great job of serving most people looking for an attractive and smartwatch.

The Watch SE could also benefit Apple by allowing it to maintain its position as market leader in global wearable devices… Less expensive smartwatches could allow the company to attract buyers who would otherwise prefer a budget fitness tracker from competitors like Fitbit.