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Apple's watchOS 27 cutoff is weirdly brutal [1]

['Jason Weisberger']

Date: 2026-06-08  

Apple Watch Series 9 owners bought a cutting-edge smartwatch and, apparently, ended up with a vintage collectible faster than anyone would have expected.

The odd part is not just that Apple is dropping older watches. It is where the line falls. The Series 9 has the S9 chip, the same generation of silicon found in the Ultra 2, yet the Ultra 2 reportedly survives the watchOS 27 cutoff while the Series 9 does not. That makes this feel less like a simple performance limit and more like Apple deciding which wrists get to stay modern.

Apple today confirmed that watchOS 27 will not support the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra (first generation), or Apple Watch SE (second generation), effectively drawing a line at devices equipped with the S9 or S10 chip.

The only Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27 are the Apple Watch Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and SE 3. Despite the fact that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 contains the S9 chip, the Series 9 which contains the same chip will no longer be supported. MacRumors

Seems earnings are driving watchOS development.

Previously:

• Apple introduces new font: 'San Francisco.' Shoulda been called 'Francisco Sans.'

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2026/06/08/apples-watchos-27-cutoff-is-weirdly-brutal.html

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