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The next Apple Watch may be delayed due to manufacturing issues

The next Apple Watch may be delayed due to manufacturing issues

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Nikkei and Bloomberg both reported on production issues

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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The next Apple Watch is experiencing manufacturing issues that could lead to the product being released later than expected, according to separate reports from Nikkei and Bloomberg. The potential delay is reportedly due to complexities in the smartwatch’s new design, which is rumored to include flat sides and bigger screens.

Sources told Nikkei that small-scale production for the next Apple Watch had begun but that it encountered “critical challenges in reaching satisfactory production performance.” Bloomberg reported similar details. Production has now been “temporarily halted” while Apple and its suppliers work to solve the manufacturing issues ahead of eventual mass production, Nikkei says.

The next Apple Watch is expected to be called the Apple Watch Series 7

The new Apple Watch, expected to be called the Apple Watch Series 7, will see screen size increases to 41mm and 45mm (a 1mm bump from the currently available options), a faster processor, and “a flatter display and edges,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter on Sunday. While Gurman reported that the Series 7 won’t bring any big health upgrades “until at least next year,” Nikkei reports that the new Watch will add new features “such as blood pressure measurement.”

Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 6 at an event last September, and the company is expected to host another September product event this year. Given these reported production challenges with the next Apple Watch, if Apple does host a September event, there’s a possibility the Apple Watch might not make an appearance.

Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.