Apple Watch battery is replaceable, recharges in 2.5 hours
On Monday, Apple Inc. shared details such as pricing and availably about their eagerly anticipated wearable during the company’s “Spring Forward” event. Apple CEO Time Cook also discussed the Apple Watch’s battery life, saying that it would last up to 18 hours on a single charge.
For consumers intending to spend anywhere between $349 and $17,000 on an Apple Watch, it would be natural to wonder how long the wearable can be expected to last. The part most prone to obsolescence on any mobile device is usually the battery. Most users would confirm a notable drop of in battery life as time goes by.
A new report from TechCrunch, yesterday revealed that the Apple Watch will come with a replaceable battery. An Apple spokesperson confirmed this detail to TechCrunch, but did not indicate how much a replacement battery may cost or what the exact process would be at replacement time. An Apple Watch battery’s life cycle is expected to be around three years.
In January rumors surfaced that the Apple Watch’s battery could last for as little as 2.5 hours with “heavy usage”. On stage Monday, Cook said, “During a typical day you can expect 18 hours—so that works for most people, I think.” According to Apple, an 18 hour day of mixed usage equates to 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and one 30 minute workout with music streaming via Bluetooth.
Taking a more pragmatic approach based on results from other smartwatches, James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said he foresees the Apple Watch’s battery to last closer to 10 to 12 hours for new users.
“The problem is that the people who are excited to buy these things are going to want to use it every chance they get and do as much with it as possible,” he said.
It remains to be seen if consumers will want a smartwatch they have to charge every day, no matter how quickly the device charges. On its website, Apple states that the Watch will take 90 minutes to reach an 80 percent charge from zero percent and 2.5 hours to reach 100 percent.
Screenshot: SiliconANGLE via Apple.com
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