Reuters has some big news about future generations of the Apple Watch: according to people familiar with Apple’s plans, the device will eventually get more health-releated sensors. Which generation we can expect to see these sensors or what types of data they’ll collect wasn’t exactly specified, but the company is definitely planning to include additional capabilities in future upgrades.
Of course, this isn’t exactly the most shocking or unexpected news. It would be hard to believe that Apple had hired a group of fitness experts only to give up on improving the headline fitness features in the wearable device after the first version hit the market, and the company is still adding new sensors to the iPhone seven years after it first debuted.
The report also says that some medical professionals aren’t happy with the device’s current abilities and many say they were hoping for more. According to some, the existing version of the Apple Watch isn’t the game-changer they were hoping for, and may not drive consumers to be as health-focused as many imagined it would. From Reuters:
“I’d need to see data that it’s useful before buying the watch or recommending it to colleagues,” said Joshua Landy, a Toronto, Canada-based critical care specialist and the chief medical officer for Figure 1, a health startup.
Landy said he would look at patients’ data from the watch, but would be equally interested in data collected in a notebook.
The Apple Watch was revealed earlier this week during a special media event. It goes on sale in early 2015.
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“A future version of this product will do more things.”
How do I get a job where I get paid to do that?
Future models will have more features? Wow, what a surprise…
LOL is this a real article or is 9to5 channeling their inner-Onion?
The fitness apps that take advantage of the m7 processor have already inspired me to be more active. Since purchasing my 5s last October I have lost 35 lbs. I have been working out more obviously, but a lot of what motivates me to hit the gym is knowing that I’ll be getting steps in fitbit and movement in Nike+Move. Yes, I am competitive so seeing my progress compared to my friends is what gets me going.
I love the guy from Toronto (hey, I used to be from Toronto). He’d be interested in data collected in a notebook. Because I constantly see people jogging on the street and working out at the gym with notebooks strapped to their chests.
Just kidding, they’re usually strapped to their backs. Lower backs. Lower lower.
You do know most elderly people and those with chronic conditions keep health journals for their doctors right? Just kidding your heads too far up your back, your lower back.
And of course the story of no story. There was no actually familiar with the matter speaking to Reuters. Everyone familiar or not familiar knows that as sure as the sun will rise and set, Apple will release something “better” next time. And next time. And next time. Tomorrow, 100% chance of being the day after today.
SEO, clicks, revenue. Useless articles to sell ads. If it keeps the site running, more power to them.
Here’s hoping for a flatulence sensor. Finally an end to the “whoever smelt it dealt it” debate. Plus add a methane detector for our friends in the country dodging cowpie daily.
The Apple Watch they unveiled is a fitness tracker and not a health tracker. Having diabetes and Addison’s disease the watch they showed off was highly disappointing. 4 sensors just to track heart rate is a disappointment. I have a feeling those 2 camera and 2 infrared sensors can do more then just detect heart rate.
With HealthKit and the Health app I was thinking it would do more then detect when you are standing or your heart rate. Even for a first generation model the lack of true health tracking is very disappointing. I have a feeling the sensors are arill in flux for the the first generation. Health tracking would made the Apple Watch a revoltiionary device, not just an Apple designed fitness tracker and smart watch.
I thought as big as they pushed the event the Watch would be more revoltiionary. I would gladly pay $500 for a device that could track my glucose, oxygen levels, breathing rates and other vital stats. Completing little circles for standing up and other physical activities is not at all what I was expecting. Maybe they are waiting on FDA approval for the health sensor laden model. I hope by WWDC Apple releases a health tracking watch.
You probably shouldn’t hold your breath for Apple shipping the watch in “Early 2015” and then unveiling a 2nd generation in June.
It’s modular designed so it won’t be hard to add more sensors to the back. It would be the same chips, and watch shell and bands. I hope Apple is waiting for FDA approval to announce more sensors or that the existing sensors are capable of more then tracking heart rate.
I think the biggest tell sign here is 2 cameras and 2 infrared sensors to truck hart rate. 4 sensors to do something so simple is over engineering and says that the sensors are capable of more.
I would really like to see Seth’s, Dan or Ben’s take on the sensors included on the Watch Apple demoed. Knowing what they knew about HealthKit and the Health app the lack of sensors and true health tracking had to be of some surprise and shock to them.
Not just future models. THIS model will. Apple is just teasing, and being strategic. It will have 2 more sensors on it at launch.
Apple Watch feels like they’re putting a toe in the water and seeing how users take to the product before deciding where to take it. Two parts of the Reuters piece:
“Observers say there is little evidence for now that the device’s fitness capabilities surpass the competition.”
and
“Policy experts say that Apple may have deliberately avoided mentioning medical use-cases for the watch for now to avoid attracting attention from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In its current form, the watch would not pose a threat to makers of mobile medical devices used by patients with chronic conditions.”
reads like Apple have played it really safe this time and, for all the hype, it’s missing bits that could make it a must have piece of kit. People will look to other fitness or mobile medical equipment until Apple decides what the watch should do.
Apple has the ok from the FDA on the software side of things, it is the hardware were the sensors would have to get approved. If what they presented on stage is truly all the fitness and health capabilities the Watch it won’t put Apple ahead of competition and won’t get doctors, insurance companies and people with health problems sold on the watch.
I believe you have it backwards. The FDA told Apple they could have any sensor they chose, but it’s the software that interprets that data that needs to be approved.
Just wonder if they are mainly waiting on FDA approval for true health tracking sensors or the sensors they are working on are taking to much battery life.
I think the only thing finalized for the Watch is the shell and having 3 collections. I think everything else is in flux.
I don’t think anyone at Samsung is loosing sleep at Samsung from what Apple showed off. I think Apple was premature to show off the Watch. It would been better to wait till the normal October event to unveil it once they had decided more details ironed out and at the PVT stage of testing.
In other news…sources say the next generation of Apple computers will be FASTER than this generation. ;)
I heard that a future version of the watch will have better specs, more features, be thinner, and be the best watch Apple has ever made.
Wow, really!? There will be updates? And better models coming out in the future?
well there was that group of student that wanted to build a wearable that could determine the nutrient content of foods and drinks via spectral analysis of your blood… or so… however, they seem to have had some hickups in testing… i guess they are still quite high up on apples shopping list… or should be…
Reflectance pulse oximetry is a an unannounced possibility with the current Apple Watch, and may explain the blood oxygen results section in the Health app in iOS 8. It’s not as accurate as transmissive pulse oximetry, the device they pop your finger in, shine a light through, and the sensor picks up the filtered light on the far side. The watch would however, perhaps, give you a little more information on your oxygen levels for fitness purposes, which would be another trick to add to its feature list :-)
Eventually, the Apple Watch needs to :
– work on its own
– have many more sensors.
So many fashion and design world naysayers are already committing the cardinal blunder of “skating to where the puck currently is” instead of trying to figure out what Apple Watch models are actually sitting on Jon Ives and Marc Newsome’s desks right now.
Gotta go now, another job summons CAPTAIN OBVIOUS…. WHOOOOOSH :-)
More shapes round 、squire …