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It\u2019s impressive watching Apple sell people virtually the same Apple Watch design year in and year out, adding a feature here and there but changing precious little about the way it looks. It\u2019s also fine \u2014 nobody actually needs to buy a new watch annually, but it does make the yearly refresh sort of ho-hum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But there\u2019s something rumored on the horizon that might invigorate things: the plastic Apple Watch SE. I found the rumor intriguing<\/a> last month when Bloomberg\u2019<\/em>s Mark Gurman set it loose<\/a>, but haven\u2019t thought much of it since. However, today he wrote<\/a> to his Power On<\/em> newsletter subscribers that Apple is using plastic to make the watch \u201cmore kid-friendly,\u201d adding that this \u201ccould allow for a better array of colors.\u201d Then it clicked. There\u2019s a chance of this being the most exciting Apple Watch update in years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Look, the Apple Watch is a great-looking device. I even like the colors Apple uses for it. But I\u2019ve gotten a little tired of the same variations on a muted palette theme for years. Something black-ish. Silver. Maybe one that\u2019s kind of pink. And Starlight (aka silver, but tinged with a noncommittal shrug of yellow). Product Red is the only option if you want something bolder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elsewhere Apple has been tinkering with colors, resulting in a great-looking iMac<\/a>. And some of the more colorful non-pro iPhones have been a delight \u2014 consider the seafoam green iPhone 12 mini<\/a> I had this phone, and I still think about it, more than I care to admit. Imagine what could flow from Apple deciding to make the Watch SE more kid-friendly. I\u2019m sure it won\u2019t be the eye-searing greens, oranges, and yellows of 90s Nickelodeon (oh my, would I buy that, though), but something like those mid-cycle purple<\/a> or banana-yellow<\/a> iPhone refreshes may not be out of the question at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The only catch is that this is the SE we\u2019re talking about; it\u2019s a great smartwatch in a lot of ways, but it\u2019s missing things that are hard to say goodbye to once you\u2019ve boarded the mainline \u201cSeries\u201d watch train. I\u2019d mostly take or leave the extra health sensors, but I don\u2019t think I can give up my Series 9\u2019s faster on-device Siri<\/a> or double-tap gesture<\/a>. But add one or both of those features to the Watch SE and toss in some bold color choices, and who knows \u2014 I might just be on the market for a cheaper wearable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n