The plastic Apple Watch SE could be for kids, and that’s really exciting

It’s impressive to see Apple sell people pretty much the same Apple Watch design year after year, adding a feature here and there but changing very little about its appearance. It’s also nice – no one really needs to buy a new watch annually, but that makes the annual upgrade kind of dull.

But there are rumors of something on the horizon that could reinvigorate things: the plastic Apple Watch SE. I found the rumor intriguing last month when Bloomberg’It is Mark Gurman released, but I haven’t thought much about it since. However, today he wrote for your To connect newsletter subscribers that Apple is using plastic to make the watch “more kid-friendly,” adding that this “could allow for a better range of colors.” Then it clicked. There’s a chance this could be the most exciting Apple Watch update in years.

Look, the Apple Watch is a beautiful device. I even like the colors Apple uses for this. But I’ve been a little tired of the same variations on a muted palette theme for years. Something black. Silver. Maybe one that’s kind of pink. And Starlight (also known as silver, but tinged with an evasive shrug of yellow). Product Red is the only option if you want something bolder.

Elsewhere, Apple has been tinkering with colors, resulting in a great-looking iMac. And some of the more colorful non-Pro iPhones have been a delight – consider the foam green iPhone 12 mini I had this phone and still think about it, more than I’d like to admit. Imagine what could happen if Apple decided to make the Watch SE more kid-friendly. I’m sure it won’t be the dazzling greens, oranges, and yellows of ’90s Nickelodeon (oh my god, I’d buy that, though), but something like those mid-cycle purple or banana-yellow iPhone updates might not be out of the question.

The only problem is that this is the IF we’re talking about; It’s a great smartwatch in many ways, but it’s missing things that are hard to say goodbye to once you hop on the mainline “Series” watch train. I’d generally take or leave the extra health sensors, but I don’t think I can give up the faster Siri on the Series 9 device or the double-tap gesture. But add one or both of those features to the Watch SE and add some bold color options, and who knows – maybe I’ll be looking for a cheaper wearable.