Report: Next Apple Watch won't contain mobile data


Bloomberg:

Apple had been in talks this year with mobile phone carriers in the U.S. and Europe to add cellular connectivity to the watch, according to people familiar with the talks. A cellular chip would have theoretically allowed the product to download sports score alerts, e-mail and mapping information while out of an iPhone's reach.

During the discussions, Apple executives expressed concern that the cellular models may not be ready for release this year and that the feature may be pushed back to a later generation, according to the people.

It would seem getting mobile data on an Apple Watch is a good way to expand the device beyond iPhone owners. If the Apple Watch can run independently, that's a lot of new potential customers. Also, the possibility of selling more data plans should get the wireless carriers pushing devices and bundling plans for more sales.

I basically have no interest in a data plan on my phone, but i doubt I'm the target for such a feature. WiFi could be interesting alternative, but there was no mention of that.

The Bloomberg report did indicate the next Apple Watch would offer GPS functionality, which should be a nice addition for outdoor fitness workouts.