iFixit’s Apple Watch teardown includes a theory about device’s delayed launch

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  iFixit’s full Apple Watch Series 7 teardown. [credit: iFixit ]

As has become something of a ritual, tools-seller and repair-advocacy group iFixit has published a detailed teardown of the latest Apple product. This time, we get a look at the particular innards of the Apple Watch Series 7.

This Watch model was announced in September—but without a release date. The eventual ship date for the first orders was Friday, October 15.

iFixit’s teardown lends credence to one from the prevailing theories about why there was a delay. The Apple Watch Series 7 appears to use an on-cell touch OLED panel, the same type seen in the iPhone 13 line. Consulting with a former Apple engineer, iFixit suggests that supply challenges related to this display tech are likely the reason the Apple Watch launched a bit late this year and why the device didn’t get a release date in last month’s keynote announcing it.