Apple Watch Series 7 Delay Blamed On Production Quality Issues

The next Apple Watch is shaping up nicely, at least as far as rumors and leaks go. Despite the reported absence of completely new health sensors, the Apple Watch Series 7 will be sporting some of the biggest design changes the company has ever made to its smartwatch line. Unfortunately, those changes might also be blamed for its delay, as various sources claim that Apple and its manufacturing partners have hit a snag in production that could force the company to push back the Apple Watch 7's launch quite a bit.

The changes to the Apple Watch Series 7's design will be more than just aesthetic. In addition to the flat edges, the smartwatch's screen will also be flatter than usual. It will also use a different lamination technology to bring the display closer to the cover glass.

And then there are the new, larger sizes that the Apple Watch would be coming in, 41mm and 45mm to be precise. All in all, these new factors have apparently increased the complexity of the Apple Watch to the point that it's more or less new territory, even for long-time manufacturers. Nikkei reports that after a small-scale production run, assemblers have realized they weren't getting satisfactory output.

This forced Apple to pause its planned production and work with its suppliers to sort out problems and certify designs. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, however, it isn't as easy for the people involved to fly back and forth to work on those designs. Such snags only appear after test production starts, which causes further delays.

Bloomberg notes that this wouldn't be the first time Apple experienced production setbacks, and it still has some options available to adjust. The Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but its availability could be pushed to a later date. That has happened recently with the iPhone 12 and even with the first Apple Watch, so it's definitely a plausible scenario that prospective buyers can expect to hear.