Samsung announced to app developers today that they can get the software development kit (SDK) for its next-generation Gear smartwatch before the device is even finished. And by the looks of the art used to announce the SDK, the new generation of watches — Samsung’s seventh — will be round.

To join the program, developers submit an application at the Samsung Developer website. Successful applicants will be emailed the development resources, and will be among the first to get a close look at the build apps and SDK for the next Gear, Samsung said.

As you can see from the developer invitation, Samsung is strongly suggesting that the next generation of apps will have a round design. Samsung was hammered last year by consumers’ clear preference for the design of the round Moto 360 smartwatch over its own squarish Gear designs.

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