Overview

• Strings in Apple’s internal builds reference “AppleMesa,” the company’s Touch ID codename, tied to 2026 Apple Watch models with no such support in this year’s lineup.
• The same code lists a new T8320 processor and a “Watch8” device family with model identifiers N237, N238, and N240, signaling a larger hardware shift than recent generations.
• Macworld first spotted the references and MacRumors corroborated them after Apple inadvertently exposed hardware identifiers in internal software.
• How fingerprint authentication would be implemented remains unclear, with patents and reporting pointing to possibilities like a side‑button sensor or an under‑display approach.
• Separate supply‑chain reporting from DigiTimes points to a broader 2026 redesign with more sensors and efficiency gains, though those claims remain unconfirmed.