Apple Announces The Apple Watch Series 2 With GPS

Apple Announces The Apple Watch Series 2 With GPS

Apple COO Jeff Williams

Apple announced the successor to the original Apple Watch yesterday called the Apple Watch Series 2. If you asked me what feature I wished my Apple watch had... it would be GPS, and thankfully Apple has added it to the second iteration of their watch. If you are a serious hiker, you might be more inclined to look at the Garmin Fenix line, but for the rest of us who want a multipurpose watch that integrates into our lives, the Apple Watch is the perfect fit.

The Apple Watch Series 2 includes some nifty new features such as...

  • Built-in GPS
  • IP7 with Water resistance to 50 meters
  • A new dual-core processor
  • 2x brighter display for increased visibility in direct sunlight

Hannah Catmur, Lead Designer of Viewranger

The addition of the GPS was a highlight during Apple's keynote speech, and third party app Viewranger was even invited up on stage to show off how the new version of their app will take advantage of the new GPS functionality (sign up to be notified of the new app update here).

If you missed it, you can see the new features at 36:50 to 40:10 of the keynote.

In this example, Viewranger took advantage of the new GPS functionality to alert you if you have walked too far off the trail of one of their existing logged hikes.

There is also now a route map in the 'Activity' app on the iPhone to see past trips using the watch.

In addition to the watch being upgraded to IP7, these seals also keep out debris and means no fear of bits getting into your watch during a dusty hike.

The Apple Watch Series 2 will be ready for pre-order on Friday, September 9th and avaliable in Apple stores here in Canada on Friday, September 16th.