We might be saying goodbye to the Apple Watch Series 3 soon

It’s been five long years since Apple introduced the now almost ancient-sounding Apple Watch Series 3, and it seems the tech giant is finally ready to let it drop off from its smartwatch lineup.

But why would Apple get rid of the Apple Watch Series 3? All things considered, it is still a good entry into this type of product for those who already sport other Apple devices and are not quite sure whether it would be their thing.

According to a report from the well-trusted Ming-Chi Kuo analyst, who usually has good insight into everything Apple, the Apple Watch Series 3 is dropping because it won’t be able to handle the new software that’s expected to come later this year — watchOS 9.

Yes, apparently the S3 chipset found inside the third generation of Apple Watches has finally reached its limits. Even though it is not yet certain, it wouldn’t be surprising given how much time has passed. Kuo claims that the now quite outdated chip simply lacks processing power.

To put some context here, the Apple Watch Series 7 comes with the S7 chip, and the SE model comes with the S5.

Kuo predicts that the Apple Watch Series 3 will reach its end-of-life (EOL) cycle during the third quarter of this year, likely around the time when the WWDC event is held, where the new watchOS 9 is expected to be announced. There is no word about the event’s date.

While the third generation might get dropped off, this inherently means that we should expect another to take its place, likely the Apple Watch Series 4. As the folks at iMore mention, the fact that Series 3 won’t be able to hand watchOS 9 could mean that there are new and exciting features hidden in there that would require something more powerful to work.