Apple Watch Series 3 Discontinued After Five Years

    The Apple Watch Series 3.
    César Salza/CNET
    

    This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product.
    

    The Apple Watch Series 3 has been discontinued from the Apple Store after being on sale for five years. The Series 3’s removal comes as Apple has refreshed its Watch lineup to make its $249 (￡259, AU$399) Apple Watch SE the new entry-level model. Apple also debuted the $399 Apple Watch Series 8 and the rugged $799 Apple Watch Ultra at the company’s “Far Out” event alongside Apple announcements like the iPhone 14 series and the new AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds.
    The removal of the Series 3 isn’t a complete surprise, as the upcoming WatchOS 9 software update will be the first to?not arrive on the Apple Watch Series 3. Apple has kept the Series 3 in its lineup at a $199 price, but despite supporting WatchOS 8, the watch’s smaller storage space and slower processor?has been showing its age.
    Following the Apple Watch portfolio shakeup, Apple now does not have an entry-level model at the $199 price. But by offering the Apple Watch SE at $249, it does lower the price of that model from the $279 that the Apple Watch SE debuted at in 2020.
    The Series 3 debuted in 2017 alongside the iPhone X and is the first Apple Watch line to include cellular connectivity without requiring a nearby iPhone.?