There’s uncertainty for people who have large collections of Apple Watch bands but want to get the new Apple Watch Pro…

We are barely a week away from Apple’s September Event. The event is widely expected to see the release of iOS 16, as well as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series. Additionally, the event is also expected to unveil the Apple Watch Series 8 and the new Apple Watch Pro.

But there is uncertainty for people who hoped to use their old Apple Watch bands with the Apple Watch Pro. Here’s what you need to know…

What Is The Apple Watch Pro?

The Apple Watch Pro is the rumored name for a new model of the Apple Watch that Apple is expected to announce next week.

The Apple Watch Pro has been described as a “rugged” version of the Apple Watch – one designed to be tougher and more impact-resistant than all current Apple Watch models as well as the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 model.

The Apple Watch Pro is also rumored to feature a larger display and much better battery life. However, it’s not yet clear if the battery life under normal usage with outlast the battery life of the regular Apple Watch, or if the Apple Watch Pro will only have longer battery life thanks to a new low-power mode, which means all the regular feature of the Apple Watch Pro may not be active in order to retain the longest battery charge possible.

If the Apple Watch Pro’s extended battery life only works while the watch is in a low power mode, it’s possible the Apple Watch Pro could last for days on a single charge as long as it is in that low power mode.

Who Is The New Apple Watch Pro For?

The bumper about the new Apple Watch Pro is that rumors have it that the new model of the Apple Watch could start at as much as $999. That’s a HUGE price increase over the $399 starting price of the current Apple Watch Series 7.

Yet Apple isn’t planning on targeting the Apple Watch Pro at regular consumers. The Apple Watch Pro will reportedly be targeted at pro athletes and extreme sports enthusiasts. Apple likely considers that these people will be willing to pay a premium for the Apple Watch Pro with its larger screen and longer battery life.

But for consumers who want to transition from an existing Apple Watch to the Apple Watch Pro – we have some news for you…

Will Apple Watch Bands Be Compatible With The Apple Watch Pro?

Many people who have owned an Apple Watch for years have fairly large collections of Apple Watch bands. They swap the bands on their Apple Watch to give it a new, fresh look.

For example, a person may choose to equip their Apple Watch with a rubber band from their Apple Watch band collection when they go swimming at the beach. But when they go out on the town later that night for dinner, they prefer to use their costly Milanese loop band with their Apple Watch.

From the time the first Apple Watch debuted up to and including the Apple Watch Series 7 (and likely the Apple Watch Series 8), all bands were completely compatible with any Apple Watch model because a band’s connector was the same shape.

But it is rumored the Apple Watch Pro will have a new physical design, and, as MacRumors reports, the new design may make Apple Watch bands incompatible with the Apple Watch Pro:

“According to a post on Weibo by the account “UnclePan,” who has shared accurate information in the past, the Apple Watch “Pro,” due to its more squared-off design, will not be compatible with older Apple Watch bands.”
MacRumors

While this will no doubt anger people with large Apple Watch band collection who hoped they could upgrade to the Apple Watch Pro and use them with that, it does make sense from a design perspective.

Giving the Apple Watch a new casing most likely necessitates a different type of band connector. Not to mention, Apple Watch Pro bands will also likely be designed to be more rugged than other Apple Watch bands designed to date.

However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has tweeted that he thinks Apple Watch bands will be compatible with the Apple Watch Pro. We’ll need to wait until September 7th to know for sure.

Michael Grothaus

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.