APPLE ONCE AGAIN MULLS LAUNCHING RUGGED WATCH FOR EXTREME SPORTS

Apple is considering launching an Apple Watch with a rugged casing aimed at athletes, hikers and others who use the device in more extreme environments, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Cupertino-based technology giant has internally discussed introducing such a Watch variation later in 2021 or 2022 at the earliest, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

This is at least the second time Apple has mulled a rugged smartwatch. After launching the first version of the Apple Watch in 2015, the company weighed a new model to better appeal to extreme sports athletes. The current version is still popular with runners, hikers and swimmers, and Apple has added several sports and activity-tracking features via its annual update cycle. However, Casio Computer Co. and other watchmakers have seen strong sales from sturdier product designs with extra protection.

If Apple goes ahead this time, the rugged version would be an additional model similar to how Apple offers a lower-cost option called the Apple Watch SE and special editions cobranded with Nike and Hermes International. Sometimes dubbed the “Explorer Edition” inside Apple, the product would have the same functionality as a standard Apple Watch but with extra impact-resistance and protection in the vein of Casio’s G-Shock watches.

The latest Apple Watch models are already waterresistant to 50 meters — at the high end for most smartwatches. But Apple could make a new device more “rugged” by giving it a rubberized exterior that would be useful for environments where the current aluminum, titanium and stainless steel cases might be prone to damage.

Development of the new Apple Watch variation could ultimately be canceled or delayed, the people familiar the matter said. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Apple is also working on new swim tracking features for the Apple Watch. The company typically launches new models in September. Last year, it rolled out the lower-cost Apple Watch SE and added a faster processor and blood oxygen sensor with the Apple Watch Series 6.

The Apple Watch has become one of Apple’s most important products, though the company does not disclose how much revenue it brings in. The device is part of the company’s wearables, home and accessories segment, which generated sales of more than $30 billion in its last fiscal year. That made it Apple’s most successful product category besides the iPhone. Apple had 40 percent of the smartwatch market in the final quarter of 2020, according to Counterpoint research.