SENSEX
NIFTY
GOLD
USD/INR

Weather

image 28    C

World News

Macworld

World / Macworld

details

The Apple Watch is forever square

Macworld Since it first launched around a decade ago, the Apple Watchs exterior design has largely stayed the same. Sure, we got larger displays, thinner bezels, and a slimmer body, but the overall look today still resembles that of the Apple Watch Series 0 . Many online users, in fact, have voiced their frustration over the smartwatchs slow evolution, with some even suggesting that Apple should spice things up and switch to a circular design. Be careful what you wish for. According to a recent report , Apple has internally explored several new designs, including a round model like the Pixel or Galaxy watches. While thinking differently to fuel innovation is always welcome, a round Apple Watch will almost certainly remain an unreleased prototype buried in a secret Cupertino basement.It just doesnt work. Its not actually a watch Let me start with a potentially controversial statement: the Apple Watch is not actually a watch ; its a miniature computer strapped to our wrists. While, yes, it was inspired by analog watches and can tell the time, its purpose and the technology it packs transcend that traditional formula. Mechanical timepieces typically come in circular designs to match the standard clock layout, but thats not applicable to Apple Watches (or digital watches in general). You dont hear people complaining about vintage Casio digital watches for having squarish designs. Just because a wearable sits on our wrists doesnt mean it has to look the same as a traditional wristwatch. Its okay to break free from archaic concepts when they become irrelevant. All your other computing devices are rectangular. Why should the Apple Watch be any dfifferent? Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Back to the mini computer. Today, were surrounded by all sorts of computing machines. Weve got laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, smart fridge displays, car infotainment systems, and so on. The vast majority of these displays are rectangular because weve come to the conclusion that its the most intuitive form factor for computer screens. The Apple Watch is no different. Ive used round Android smartwatches , and theyre a nightmare to operate. The way text moves along the circles curved edges when scrolling makes reading messages deeply challenging, and the entire user experience is wonky. You wouldnt want to use a round iPhone, let alone a round version of a much smaller accessory with limited screen real estate like a smartwatch. Corners are more important than youd think Beyond the unintuitive UI/UX, adopting a round Apple Watch would come with hardware compromises. Switching from a square to a circle while maintaining the same width/diameter would decrease the overall area by around 20%. The battery would have to shrink, along with the space that houses the smartwatchs advanced sensors and health monitors. While they may seem insignificant, the Apple Watchs corners actually play an integral role in its internal architecture. Round smartwatches (such as the Google Pixel Watch 4) are tricky to use and require numerous hardware compromises. Chris Martin / Foundry Think about the Complications Chopping off the corners would also affect one of the Apple Watchs essential software features: Complications. Most circular Apple Watch faces let you utilize the unused display corners by adding custom Complications. This handy perk allows you to quickly glance at the weather conditions, your heart rate, todays date, Activity rings, battery level, and more. You can also use the feature to effortlessly launch apps or run shortcuts. watchOS has been carefully crafted to take full advantage of the rectangular design, and no part of the screen currently goes to waste. Defacing an icon It goes without saying that moving from a rectangle to a circle would require redesigning the extensive watch face library. Some faces will have to be completely dropped, while others will work less effectively. More importantly, all first- and third-party apps will need to be fully overhauled to support the new design. It would essentially require rebuilding the entire watchOS platform from the ground up, and thats not something Apple is willing to do. The company strategically avoids shocking its users with transformative changes to fundamental elements in such a manner, especially when the change serves no constructive purpose. On the contrary, Apple is bringing watchOS closer to iOS by adopting familiar user interfaces. Pre-installed Apple Watch apps now resemble their iPhone counterparts as far as is practical, featuring similar designs and more advanced functionality, further contributing to the smartwatchs independence. In fact, all Apple platforms are en route to becoming tweaked iterations of each other, with OS 27 streamlining the design language through Liquid Glass. Apple wont throw that all away. You can kiss those beautiful faces goodbye. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Its an Apple Watch Apart from the functional software and hardware downgrades, adopting a round design would weaken the Apple Watch brand. Its present look has become an iconic representation of its identity, just like Pro iPhones rear camera arrangement. Anyone who spots the rectangular screen and protruding Digital Crown recognizes its an Apple Watch . A circular model would simply vanish into a sea of generic, uninspired round smartwatches; Apple would never let that happen.

14 Aug 2026 4:00 pm