Apple Watch Series 5 stocks are running dry ahead of likely Series 6 reveal

Pride 2020 Apple Watch Bands Glasses Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is expected to announce Apple Watch Series 6 soon.
Stocks of Apple Watch Series 5 models are already starting to run out.
That's usually an indication that an announcement is coming soon.

Stocks of Apple Watch Series 5 models are already beginning to run out, suggesting that a new model is coming sooner rather than later.

We are already expecting Apple to announce Apple Watch Series 6 within the next few weeks, but the exact timing isn't known. However, with Apple Watch Series 5 stocks already in short supply it's likely that Apple is selling through its existing inventory with the replacement model on the horizon.

As many people have noted, stocks of almost every Apple Watch Series 5 are extremely limited for both online order and in-store collection. All of the higher-end models are currently out of stock in particular.

Been looking through Apple Watch ship times and it appears almost EVERY single 44mm watch with LTE is unavailable to ship or pickup. Exception being silver aluminum but all the SS and Edition watches are gone in the 44mm size. Series 6 probably be dropping soon! pic.twitter.com/goYux8MrIFBeen looking through Apple Watch ship times and it appears almost EVERY single 44mm watch with LTE is unavailable to ship or pickup. Exception being silver aluminum but all the SS and Edition watches are gone in the 44mm size. Series 6 probably be dropping soon! pic.twitter.com/goYux8MrIF— Tailosive Tech (@TailosiveTech) August 30, 2020 August 30, 2020

We're also likely to see new iPads alongside new Apple Watches, although the timing is less than clear right now. Apple's usual September event is up in the air given the news iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro won't ship until October. It's possible two online media events could take place, or Apple could announce the iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches together with various shipping dates.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.