Apple Cites Processing Power For watchOS 27 Watch Culls
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- Apple confirmed that the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and original Apple Watch Ultra will not receive watchOS 27, dropping roughly three years' worth of device support in one update — a move the source calls unprecedented for the product line.
- Cait Dooley, Apple's Apple Watch and Health product marketing manager, told TechRadar that performance requirements drove the cutoff, stating the new Siri AI and tap gesture "work best with the processing power that is in Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Ultra 2 and later, and SE 3."
- David Clark, Apple's senior director of watchOS software engineering, said watchOS 27 was built to make the Apple Watch a "true co-partner" to Apple Intelligence, with a unified Siri experience that hands off seamlessly between the wrist and iPhone.
- Apple said affected older watches will keep working when paired with the latest iPhone software and will continue to receive basic security updates, though they will miss the new intelligence features.
- watchOS 27 is currently available to developers in beta, with a public beta expected next month and an official release slated for the fall.
Why it matters: This is the first time Apple has dropped three generations' worth of Apple Watch support in a single update, breaking from its typical cadence and effectively forcing owners of Series 6 through original Ultra hardware off the upgrade path for the company's flagship intelligence features. While the affected watches will still get security updates, buyers who spent $400–$800 on a recent Apple Watch lose access to the Siri AI experience Apple is positioning as the platform's centerpiece.
