WWDC 2026 has concluded, bringing its familiar cycle of announcements, betas, and the usual blend of excitement and letdown. I followed the updates closely, given my many interests. Yet I also own an original Apple Watch Ultra—the 2022 model priced at $800, marketed as Apple’s most capable, serious, and enthusiast-focused watch.

watchOS 27 will not reach it. Four years. The watch is four years old. Apple—the same company that will happily support iOS 27 on an iPhone 11 from 2019, the same company that apparently had the patience to maintain the original HomePod (the 2018 model with the older A8 chip)—has decided the Apple Watch Ultra from 2022 is obsolete. Retired. A relic.

The stated cause is the Neural Engine. The S8 chip in the original Ultra lacks the four-core Neural Engine introduced with the S9. I understand the technical basis. Yet Apple also revealed that watchOS 27 will deliver longer battery life, quicker Wi-Fi, more precise sleep monitoring, and faster app responsiveness—none of which, as far as I can see, depend on a Neural Engine. These are refinements. These are enhancements for current hardware.

And those won’t arrive either.

So original Ultra users miss both the AI capabilities and the broader upgrades. They receive… nothing. The device continues functioning, naturally. Yet the difference between it and any supported model will gradually grow each year, as usual.

This began last year. watchOS 26 introduced hypertension alerts and live text translation—features that bypassed the original Ultra completely. I noticed. I noted it. I hoped it was an exception.

It wasn’t an exception.

One Reddit commenter summarized it well: nothing in the new OS couldn’t be adjusted to work on older devices, if Apple chose to invest the effort. They simply prefer not to. The reasoning is straightforward—an abandoned Ultra owner becomes a likely Ultra upgrade prospect.I grasp Apple’s business reasoning without resentment. What troubles me is that this affects the Ultra—not the SE, not a mid-range Series watch. The Ultra, which Apple promoted to dedicated athletes, to those seeking the finest option, to buyers who paid $800 expecting lasting quality. Four years does not qualify as lasting.

My Apple Extended Keyboard II dates to 1990 and still functions perfectly, though I know this isn’t a precise comparison. Yet it’s the one that naturally arises.