Apple Watch 2 may be 40% thinner than its predecessor says analyst

The much awaited Apple Watch 2 body is expected to be up to 40% thinner than the current Apple Watch, according to a report. The launch date for the new smartwatch is speculated to be in June at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Apple analyst Brian White of Wall Street firm Drexel Hamilton, released a report on the expected device saying: "The Apple Watch refresh will not occur in September with the iPhone 7, but is more likely to occur within the next 2-3 months, and thus we believe an unveiling at WWDC in June makes sense. We believe Apple Watch 2 could also be 20-40% thinner than the current Apple Watch."

In September 2015, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri had also claimed that the Apple Watch 2 would be thinner than current models. Along with this, the Apple Watch 2 is expected to have a brand new design for an ultra-tiny CPU, which might be an ARM Cortex A32 processor in a 32-bit powerhouse.

The A32 promises better battery life with faster performance and lower power usage. It could be up to 25% quicker than the current ARM offering. It is also expected to incorporate new power management features compared to Cortex-A7 and Cortex-A5 processors, thereby providing more capabilities for embedded applications that require minimal idle power consumption.

A recent patent revealed that the watch could feature gesture controls making it possible to control the smartwatch with a few quick, specific finger movements including some sign languages. Using the sign language method, the paired iPhone will be able to recognise signs and convert them to spoken or written language.

The analyst also claims that production of the upcoming iPhone 7 is expected to begin in July, and launched at a September event.