Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a blog post on Monday that the next Apple Watch will be thinner and have a larger screen.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to be released in September when the company typically introduces its next batch of wearables and new iPhone models. Kuo said the screen sizes on the two Apple Watch models will increase from 41 millimeters to 44 millimeters and from 45 millimeters to 49 millimeters.

The specifications of the Apple Watch Ultra model will remain “roughly the same,” though a darker case option may be introduced if production yields meet expectations, Kuo added.

The watch will include components manufactured using 3D printing technology starting in the second half of the year, Kuo added.

While Apple has yet to mass-produce devices using 3D printing. The company tested 3D printing for Apple Watch Series 9 production in 2023 to reduce manufacturing time and amount of materials used. Kuo said the testing “significantly improved” production efficiency.

Bright Laser Technologies will supply the 3D-printed watch components, according to Kuo. He said demand for shipments of the China-based 3D-printing company’s parts is expected to grow in coming years due to the cost advantages of 3D printing. Kuo also cited the potential for the technology to be used in the production of Apple Watch cases.

Japanese electronic parts maker TDK on Monday said it had successfully developed a material for its solid-state batteries, making a breakthrough that it estimates could deliver significantly higher performance for wearable devices.

The Tokyo-based Apple supplier said that the material for its small solid-state batteries had an estimated energy density of 1,000 Watt hours per liter (Wh/l), which is approximately 100 times greater than the energy density of TDK’s conventional mass-produced solid-state battery.

Energy density refers to the amount of energy stored in a region of space.

Solid-state batteries are viewed as a potentially game-changing technology, because they can store more energy than lithium-ion batteries and charge faster.

TDK said that the innovation can be utilized in various devices that come into direct contact with the human body, including for wireless earphones, hearing aids and smartwatches.

The batteries are expected to be produced with an all-ceramic material, with oxide-based solid electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes.

TDK said that its goal is to use its technology to replace existing coin cell batteries, a small stainless steel disc that provides power to portable devices, in compliance with European Union battery regulations.

Some of the main features of TDK’s technology include the use of oxide-based solid electrolytes, which the company says makes them “extremely safe.”

TDK says the smaller size of the battery and its higher capacitance, the capability of a device to store electric charge, means it can contribute to smaller devices and potentially provide a longer operating time.

— CNBC’s Ganesh Rao contributed to this report.

Starboard Value, the activist fund run by Jeff Smith, has taken a sizable stake in graphics-design firm Autodesk and has spoken with the company’s board in recent weeks over a number of serious concerns involving its disclosures around an internal investigation that led to the ouster of its chief financial officer.

Starboard’s stake is valued at roughly $500 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The activist, which has a long track record of investing in the technology sector, is particularly concerned about the timing of Autodesk’s disclosure of an internal investigation which revealed that executives misled investors around the company’s free cash flow metrics and operating margins, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential information freely.

The results of that probe led to the ouster of Autodesk’s then-CFO, Deborah Clifford, who was moved to a different executive role within Autodesk. The probe found that executives manipulated reporting tied to company’s contract billing structure, as Autodesk shifted back to upfront payments from annualized payments, to improve those metrics.

Autodesk first disclosed in April that it had begun an internal investigation into disclosure issues around those metrics, almost a month after it had first begun the investigation and had informed the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was probing its financial reports. Autodesk shares slid 20% over the next few weeks. The company’s market cap now sits slightly below $50 billion.

The delayed disclosure came a little more than a week after the deadline to nominate directors closed. The tight window and timing of the disclosure has raised significant concerns inside Starboard, the people said, that Autodesk’s board deliberately chose not to inform shareholders ahead of its annual meeting. Such a delay would potentially limit a shareholder’s ability to nominate its own candidates in a contested fight.

Starboard is weighing legal action in Delaware Chancery court to compel the reopening of Autodesk’s nominating window and the delay of Autodesk’s annual meeting, the people said. Autodesk’s shareholder meeting is currently scheduled for July 16.

The activist also believes that the company can drive actual margin improvement and improve investor communications to help bolster Autodesk’s stock, the people said.

Starboard has built stakes in other major technology companies, including Marc Benioff’s Salesforce and Splunk, which was sold to Cisco in 2023 for $28 billion.

News of Starboard’s stake and plans was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.

Autodesk has faced activist scrutiny before. In 2016, it settled with two activist investors at Sachem Head Capital Management and Eminence Capital to stave off a proxy contest.

Autodesk disclosed earlier this year that it is facing Justice Department and SEC probes. A representative for the company did not immediately return a request for comment.