No, I get it: round watches are a very inefficient use of space, and there is likely a reason that the Apple Watch continues to dominate the market. But what a new piece argues for is not to replace the existing Apple Watch design, but instead to offer us a greater range of options … It’s not coincidence that Apple chose a rectangular display for the Apple Watch. This clearly offers the most efficient use of space, allowing some info-dense faces alongside simpler ones. If we ignore the frankly silly gold Edition model, Apple originally gave us a single option each update rather than a range of models to choose from. Later we got a number of other options, but these were more in the line of special editions than regular alternatives. There were the more sensible Edition models, the Apple Watch SE as a budget option, and the Ultra as a niche option for outdoor adventurers. I rather strongly suspect that a lot of Ultra Watch buyers chose the model not because they spend time hanging off rock faces or exploring the ocean floor, but rather because they wanted the largest screen size. There is of course nothing wrong with choosing the Ultra even though it will never leave the city limits. Indeed, Macworld’s Jason Snell argues that Apple ought to offer even more options to meet the needs of different owners. He notes that Apple offers plenty of choice in other products. There are four different iPhones to choose from, four different iPads, two different MacBook lines with a choice of sizes within them, and four desktop Macs. He suggests the company ought to offer a similar range of choices for the Apple Watch. What’s stopping Apple from designing a new Apple Watch that is dramatically different from existing models, perhaps with a round display and a different approach to bands? What’s stopping Apple from designing a watchOS-based fitness tracker with a tiny display? Apple doesn’t even need to think that either design is superior to the existing Apple Watch. At some point, Apple’s goals are to get people to spend more money and to reach potential customers who aren’t interested in the current Apple Watch. [It could] just add new devices to the Apple Watch product line and see what happens. Read Snell’s full article at Macworld. While I’ve swapped my Apple Watch for a smart ring, the last time I wore one I had a very simple watch face that could easily have been accommodated within a circular display – and I would actually have preferred the look. It’s not chance that I now wear circular dumb-watches. My watch face could be so simple because I realized I wasn’t using it much for information, but primarily as a health and fitness tracker and an Apple Pay device. Someone else might cram in so much information that they need the large rectangular screen of the Apple Watch Ultra simply to see it all. Different needs for different people and I think Snell is right that it would be great if this were reflected in a wider range of Apple Watch models. What are your views? Should Apple offer a range of different form factors? For example, a line-up that looks like this: Apple Watch Series n Apple Watch Ultra Round-faced variant Simple fitness tracker with Apple Pay Please take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments. Highlighted accessories Photo by Rachit Tank on Unsplash