I’ve been using Apple products for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest tech memories involve an iPod my father gifted me when I was a kid, and from there, I was hooked. Not long after, I got my hands on Apple’s second-generation iPad, and ever since then, I’ve spent most of my time inside Apple’s ecosystem. Fast-forward to today, and not much has changed. My daily setup revolves almost entirely around Apple products. I use an iPhone 17 as my primary phone, a MacBook Air M2 for work, an Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) on my wrist, AirPods Pro 2 in my ears, and an iPad mini whenever I want a bigger screen than my iPhone. The ecosystem works well, and it’s a big reason I’ve stuck around for so long. That said, being a long-time Apple user doesn’t mean I think the company gets everything right.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that Apple often takes its sweet time adopting features Android users have enjoyed for ages. Whether it’s customization, AI features, or everyday quality-of-life improvements, iPhone users are usually asked to be patient while Apple works out its own version of the idea. Most of the time, I’ve been willing to wait because the end result is polished enough to justify it. But there’s a difference between waiting for a feature and feeling like your device has been left behind. That’s exactly the feeling I’ve been getting lately with my Apple Watch SE (2nd generation). For the first time in a long while, I caught myself wondering whether Apple is asking too much from some of its most loyal customers.

The upgrade I never asked for

Before I get into why I’m frustrated that my SE 2 is missing out on watchOS 27, there’s some context worth noting: I never planned to buy this watch in the first place. I was perfectly happy with my Apple Watch SE (1st generation). It did everything I needed, and upgrading wasn’t even on my radar. Then the screen suddenly developed an issue. I looked into a repair, but that didn’t go anywhere, and eventually I was left with little choice but to replace it. That’s how I ended up with the SE 2. To be clear, I wasn’t chasing the latest smartwatch or hunting for a reason to upgrade. I just wanted another Apple Watch that would slot into my existing setup and handle the things I actually care about. For my needs, the SE 2 made perfect sense. It gave me the familiar Apple Watch experience without making me spend flagship money on features I knew I’d rarely touch. And it’s been great.

Every day it tracks my workouts, counts my steps, monitors my heart rate, records my runs, and keeps up with everything I throw at it. Even now, it feels fast, reliable, and perfectly capable. Nothing about using it suggests it’s nearing the end of its life. That’s why Apple’s decision stings. For me, owning a device isn’t only about whether it still works. Part of the experience is watching it evolve through software updates, trying new features, and seeing the product improve over time. It’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed invested in the Apple ecosystem for so long. I know without watchOS 27, my watch won’t suddenly stop working. It’ll keep tracking my workouts and handling the basics just fine. But it’ll also stop moving forward. While newer Apple Watches gain new features and improvements, my SE 2 will effectively be left behind.

Five watches, cut off at once

During the WWDC26 keynote, Apple confirmed watchOS 27 would land on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and the SE (3rd generation). The Series 8, Series 7, Series 6, the first-generation Ultra, and my SE 2 didn’t make the cut. Maybe I’d understand the decision better if my watch felt slow, outdated, or incapable. But it doesn’t. Every morning when I put it on, it does exactly what I bought it for. Which is why it’s hard not to feel nudged toward another upgrade, not because I need one, but simply because I want to stay current.

Seeing Apple drop support for five models at once doesn’t sit right with me, because it feels like the opposite of what software updates are supposed to do. I’ve always seen a major update as a way to breathe new life into existing hardware. The whole point is that your device stays the same while you get new features, a refreshed experience, and improvements that make it feel newer than it did the day before. That’s part of the magic of owning tech that gets long-term support.

The all-or-nothing problem

Now, I understand Apple’s reasoning to an extent. Many of watchOS 27’s features rely on AI, and older watches lack the hardware to run them. That’s fair enough. What I struggle with is the all-or-nothing approach. Not every new feature has to be supported on every older device. Apple has feature-gated before, reserving hardware-dependent features for newer products while everyone else still gets the core update. That feels like a far more reasonable compromise than cutting off support entirely. Instead, owners of perfectly functional watches are being told to stay on older software to keep using the watch they already paid for. And whether Apple intends it or not, that creates the impression that the easiest path forward is to just buy a newer one.

Maybe that’s not the message Apple wants to send. But as someone whose SE 2 still works flawlessly every day, it’s hard not to feel pushed toward an upgrade long before I actually need one.

What does loyalty actually get you?

And that’s the question I keep circling back to: what do loyal customers actually get in return? I’ve spent years buying into this ecosystem. The iPhone, the Apple Watch, the AirPods, the iPads, the Mac I rely on for work. I’ve invested not just money but time into learning and trusting these products. That’s why situations like this feel so disappointing. Every few years, there seems to be a fresh reason to upgrade something that was working perfectly fine yesterday. Sometimes it’s a hardware limitation, sometimes a repair issue, sometimes software support ending sooner than you expected. Individually, each decision might make sense. But when you’re on the receiving end, it feels like an endless cycle.

I’m not asking Apple to support every device forever. That’s not realistic. As technology advances, older hardware eventually reaches its limits. What I am asking for is a little more consideration for the people who’ve stayed loyal for years and are still using devices that work exactly as intended. Because when a product is still reliable, still capable, and still meeting your needs, being told it’s time to move on feels like pressure. Maybe I’ll upgrade my Apple Watch eventually. I probably will. But I’d like that to happen because my watch can no longer keep up, not because the software support was pulled while the hardware still had plenty of life left. And right now, that’s the part that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.