New Apple Watch casings could be coming later this year

Apple is allegedly planning even more variations of its Watch, with up to three casings in the works for later this year.

Unusually accurate Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is expecting Apple to introduce between one and three new Watch case materials by the last quarter of 2015, which means they could be announced as early as the fall.

The Apple Watch will come in aluminum, stainless steel, and 18-karat gold when it ships next month. The varied case materials account for a wide range of price points, from $350 to $10,000.

Kuo doesn’t mention possible materials that could be used for future cases. Interestingly, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Apple has experimented with a platinum Apple Watch. Apple has some interesting patents related to liquid metal that could prove helpful if that route is taken.

Apple debuting new Watch styles later in the year would indicate that it doesn’t plan to stick to its typical yearly update cycle for new products.

Kuo is fairly bullish on Apple Watch sales with predictions of 5-6 million units shipping in the first half of the year 15-20 million units for all of 2015.

Alex Heath

Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.