Apple debuts the Watch Ultra, for athletes, with a 49mm titanium case, improved multiband GPS, “action button”, second speaker, and 36-60-hour battery, for $799

The Verge 2022-09-08 Victoria Song

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple had kept its mainstream Watch line at a $399 starting point with the larger-display Series 7, following the Series 4's stronger emphasis on health data. Ultra introduces a distinct, higher-priced branch centered on outdoor-oriented hardware rather than another general-purpose refresh.

Same-day hands-on coverage found the large flat display notably brighter and the device lighter than expected. A subsequent review credited its comfort, battery life, and durability but found the lack of offline maps a constraint, clarifying the gap between athletic positioning and hard-core use.

First-order effects

Apple gains a $799 Watch tier for athletes, separating buyers who value longer battery life, multiband GPS, and a dedicated action control from the mainstream Watch customer.
Athletes considering Ultra receive a larger titanium model with added audio hardware and a stated 36-to-60-hour battery range, while accepting a substantially higher entry price than Series 7.

Second-order effects

Apple's own Watch portfolio becomes more explicitly segmented: the $399 Series 7 anchors the general-purpose line while Ultra tests willingness to pay for specialized durability and navigation-oriented features.
The review's offline-maps criticism makes software capability, not only the titanium case or display size, an important determinant of whether the premium model satisfies serious outdoor users.

Third-order effects

If Apple continues the Ultra line—as later coverage of the Ultra 3 upgrade indicates—the Apple Watch range shifts from a single mainstream product family toward durable, role-specific premium variants.
The pattern also raises the bar for Apple to pair specialized hardware with equally specialized software, since aspirational athletic branding alone does not establish hard-core utility.

The trend: Apple is segmenting the Watch line into a mainstream health-and-connectivity product and a higher-priced, sport-focused premium tier.

Discussion

@lisapjackson Lisa P. Jackson on x
A few of the ways the newest iPhone lineup is helping us meet our 2030 net-zero climate goals: 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine 100% recycled gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards https://twitter.com/...
@ijustine @ijustine on x
New Apple Watch Ultra: Aerospace grade titanium case, flat sapphire crystal, new action button, larger digital crown, 2nd speaker, cellular, up to 36 hours of battery life on a single charge! New Apple Watch band - Alpine loop and trail loop! #AppleEvent https://twitter.com/...
@jsnell Jason Snell on x
Turns out that extreme-sport-focused Apple Watch really _is_ extreme-sport focused. Apple Watch Ultra. I suppose there will be aspirational aspects of this but Apple's not shying away from the sports messaging.
@heymarkl Mark Linsangan on x
The NEW 2nd Gen Apple Watch SE however is the best priced Apple Watch imo. $249 You get 30% bigger display than Series 3 Apple Watch, faster processor, and has emergency SOS, fall + crash detection. #AppleEvent https://twitter.com/...
@casey Casey Neistat on x
re Apple Watch Ultra. can you turn off the touch screen? false positives were my biggest beef w apple watch. i use Garmin now (love it) and it has a touch screen that i can toggle on/off with a hard button.
@lukejohnpearce Luke John on x
garmin watching this apple watch ultra be announced, knowing their battery life alone is 10x #AppleEvent https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
the new Apple Watch Ultra is definitely chonky https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jensenharris Jensen Harris on x
This is like the Hummer of watches. Designed to ascend K2 and dive 150' into the ocean but will be mostly worn by IT folks in the suburbs and kept polished and clean. Controversial, but I love the industrial design choices + pretty astounding tech in there for $799. #AppleEvent h…
@sandeepssrin Sandeep Srinivasa on x
Apple is using the Bühlmann decompression algorithm ZHL-16 which is used by Garmin & Scubapro. Pretty good. Very conservative. But understandable why. https://www.apple.com/...
@escoen Esther on x
Apple Watch series 8 is for people who don't want to die, the ultra is for people who do
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
Garmin: Shit
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
$799 is actually a killer price versus Garmin, etc. Pleasant surprise there. #AppleEvent
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple Watch Ultra is $799, cheaper than expected and a huge undercut to Garmin's pricing.
@techaltar @techaltar on x
It won't be good enough for technical divers who need fancy stuff like monitoring gas mixes, but for any recreational diver, this all looks fantastic
@stroughtonsmith Steve Troughton-Smith on x
*Really* into the new waypoints system on Apple Watch Ultra (just wait 'till you see this in AR). The entire featureset of this device is fantastic, even if it's not at all for me https://twitter.com/...
@davegershgorn Dave Gershgorn on x
Garmin execs sighing in relief rn, the best wilderness features are a siren that goes 600 ft and GPS breadcrumbing?
@every_daydad @every_daydad on x
Another real talk. I'll buy the ultra watch just for the battery life.
@vicmsong Victoria Song on x
I said “OH SHIT” when they said they added multi-band GPS. https://twitter.com/...
@sandeepssrin Sandeep Srinivasa on x
Apple Watch Ultra is EN13319 dive computer certified ? People dont know that the stupid dive computer industry is worth 5 billion USD. A far shittier Suunto D5 is 1200 USD. Apple just fucked them big time. And very likely my very first Apple Device 🏳️🏳️
@shanselman Scott Hanselman on x
I'm totally picking up the new Apple Watch given my well-known interest in extreme sports. It's going to make watching Netflix in the bathtub a lot safer. #AppleEvent
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
Wow $299 for a Cellular Apple Watch SE is a GREAT price! Awesome for kids
@davegershgorn Dave Gershgorn on x
Diving is a good use case for this, though. Doesn't need insane battery life, and i'd imagine it would be useful to have a waterproof HUD
@iupdate @iupdate on x
The most impressive thing by far that Apple unveiled today was the Apple Watch Ultra. This thing is STUNNING. https://twitter.com/...
@michaelmiraflor Michael J. Miraflor on x
Wondering what the Garmin fitness watch team is doing right now in reaction to the Apple Watch Ultra. Feel like it's going right for their jugular. Does Apple have enough cred to win over hardcore athletes? Is Garmin's USP strong enough to retain their loyal user base?
@snazzyq Quinn Nelson on x
whos gonna tell techcrunch that apple partnered with the company that owns suunto to make the apple watch dive computer app [Screen capture of TC headline: “Scuba-diving veterans Suunto should be terrified of the Apple Watch Ultra"]
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple announces the Apple Watch Ultra at $799, undercutting Garmin's prices. Apple announces SOS Satellite messaging, matching Garmin inReach's key feature. Garmin stock up over 3%.
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
Apple Watch Ultra. Feels lighter and smaller than it looks. https://twitter.com/...
@cnbc @cnbc on x
Apple is adding a satellite emergency service feature to the iPhone 14. The service launches in November, and is included free for 2 years with an iPhone 14. #AppleEvent https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@mikebutcher Mike Butcher on x
I think period tracking startups are about to crash and burn, given all the privacy violations many have been party to, post Roe/Wade. Apple is going to massively benefit from that backlash. https://twitter.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
I'm old enough to remember when design was part of the Apple Watch pitch
@hombrewrecker @hombrewrecker on x
it's fucking bleak to do this right now, please do not trust apple with data about your reproductive health https://www.theverge.com/...
@cnbc @cnbc on x
Apple Watch Ultra announced with a completely new design for extreme sports #AppleEvent https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@thesheetztweetz Michael Sheetz on x
Apple's emergency satellite service: -direct from phone to satellite -compresses messages to send in under 15 seconds -begins in November, comes free for 2 years with an iPhone 14 https://www.cnbc.com/... #AppleEvent https://twitter.com/...

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