Why it matters: Apple is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 7 this month, marking the first redesign since the Series 4 and bringing an important health monitoring upgrade in the form of a blood pressure sensor. However, fans looking forward to buying one will probably have to wait several weeks before they'll be able to get it, as manufacturing issues have delayed mass production until later this month.
The upcoming Apple Watch seems to have hit some production issues due to the device sporting a "complicated design." According to separate reports from Nikkei Asia and Bloomberg, the new device will enter mass production at a later date than initially planned and is expected to be available in limited quantities at launch.
Apple suppliers began trial production runs for the Apple Watch Series 7 last week, but the new chassis has proven difficult to make within the tight tolerances required by the Cupertino tech giant. Assembling the components of the new wearable is also taking longer than with previous generations, as it requires more steps to complete, and the final product needs to meet requirements for water-resistance performance.
Production has been "temporarily halted" while Apple and its suppliers iron out the kinks in the manufacturing process and to "further certify designs before going into mass production."
An interesting detail popped up in the new reports, which could give fans hope that this iteration of the Apple Watch is more than just a boring redesign. Until recently, the Series 7 has been rumored to include body temperature and blood sugar sensors, but those features are now reserved for future iterations of the Apple Watch. Instead, the upcoming Apple Watch will integrate a blood pressure sensor, which is part of the reason why production was halted.
At this point, Apple is still considering keeping the original announcement schedule in place, but this could change if production issues persist beyond this week.