Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra 2 to use 3D printed parts

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out today with a new note about the next-gen Apple Watch Ultra. Discovered in the latest survey, Kuo says Apple is adopting 3D printing technology that is expected to deliver some of the mechanical parts for Apple Watch Ultra 2.

We haven’t heard much at all about what Apple is planning to deliver with this year’s Apple Watch Ultra.

Earlier this year we got a prediction from Jeff Pu that Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 could come with a larger display and a month later, DigiTimes corroborated that saying the screen would increase by 10%.

Pu also highlighted that the switch to micro OLED is also likely to happen in 2024, not this year. And he went on to forecast that Apple Watch sales will drop in 2023 due to a “lack of significant spec upgrade.”

Today’s analyst note from Kuo is on the latest on the Apple Watch Ultra that will arrive this fall. Meshing with Pu’s expectations, there isn’t any mention of exciting user-facing upgrades from Kuo. However, Apple is reportedly planning to use new 3D printed tech to make some of the wearable’s titanium mechanical parts.

Kuo says that the new approach could “improve the production time and reduce the production cost.”

Looking further down the road, if the 3D printed parts work well in the second-gen Ultra, more Apple devices may take advantage of them.

Kuo highlights that “IPG Photonics is the exclusive supplier of laser components, and the printer suppliers are Farsoon and BLT.”

As far as any notable user-facing changes, it’s possible Apple uses the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to offer new finishes to generate upgrade interest:

• Should we expect an Apple Watch Ultra 2 in 2023?

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