The Apple Watch Series 3 has been around for five years, but it seems that 2022 will be the end of the smartwatch. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the Apple Watch Series 3 may be discontinued in the third quarter of 2022. Kuo believes the watch is too old to run the latest version of WatchOS. In his words, the device's "computing power doesn't meet the requirements of the new watchOS."
The Apple Watch Series 3 was originally released in 2017 and it's been 5 years now, which is pretty good for any wearable device. However, after the recent WatchOS 7 update, the device experienced random restarts or freezes, insufficient storage space, battery drain, and other issues. Users also face problems updating watch Series 3 to the latest version of WatchOS due to insufficient storage space, and watches often ask users to reset their Watch to initiate the update. Surprisingly, despite Apple's introduction of the Apple Watch SE, it was still able to survive.
With the launch of WatchOS 9, the Watch Series 3 is expected to be obsolete due to lagging hardware. Apple will launch WatchOS 9 at WWDC 2022, at which point support for the Watch Series 3 may be dropped. Rumor has it that Apple expects to launch three new Apple Watch models this year — the Apple Watch SE, the Apple Watch Series 8, and the rugged Apple Watch Explorer — for sports enthusiasts. Also, there may not be a place for the Watch Series 3 in the keynote.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to get a new graphic design that is consistent with current iPhones and iPads. In addition, it may come with a temperature sensor. The Apple Watch Explorer may have an impact-resistant and rugged protective case.