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Apple Watch

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Apple Watch is Apple's wearable is designed to help you stay active, motivated, and connected. It runs watchOS, and it comes in 40mm and 44mm size options.

How to see all Apple Watch apps

History

The original Apple Watch (later called Series 0) was released on April 24, 2015, after years of rumors. While there was a lot of initial hype around it, the third-party watchOS apps were slow to launch due to API limitations. Native apps were available in watchOS 2. The original watch came in 38mm and 42mm sizes.

The Series 2 Watch was released on September 16th, 2016 along with a Series 1 Watch. The Series 2 included the S2 chip, built-in GPS, and water-proof construction. The Series 1 included the S2, but lacked GPS and waterproofing.

The Series 3 Watch was released on September 22, 2017, and it included an LTE option and the S3 chip. The Series 4 Watch was released on September 21, 2018. New hardware included the S4 Chip, Electrical heart sensor w/ ECG app, and larger display (40mm and 44mm sizes).

Apple Watch Series 5 was announced during Apple’s fall event on September 10, 2019. Customers were able to purchase the device later that day, and it was released on September 20. The headline feature for this model was the wearable’s always-on display. The new display always shows the time and complications and is also the first from the company to include a built-in compass.

Apple launched international emergency services to every cellular model. Series 5 also brought back ceramic white, and new natural brush and space black titanium models.

Apple Watch Series 6 was unveiled on September 15, 2020 at the “Time Flies” event alongside the more affordable SE and new iPad Air. New features of the Series 6 include blood oxygen monitoring, new watch colors, faster S6 chip, new watch faces, and more.

Apple Watch features

Apple Watch is designed to help you stay active, motivated, and connected. The newest versions are Series 6 and SE while Apple still sells Series 3 as the most affordable option.

Features include:

  • Heart rate monitoring (all models)
    • Including high, low, and irregular heart rate notifications
  • ECG readings (Series 4 and later)
  • Blood oxygen monitoring (Series 6)
  • Workout tracking, Activity Rings, competitions, and awards
  • Works with Apple Fitness+
  • Sleep tracking (with watchOS 7)
  • GPS and GPS + Cellular models
  • Always-on display (Series 5 & 6)
  • Water-resistant to 50 meters
  • Emergency SOS and fall detection
  • Phone calls and Messages
  • Music, Podcasts, and more
  • Third-party apps available through App Store built into watchOS

watchOS

watchOS is the dedicated software that runs on Apple Watch. The current version is watchOS 7 that was released in fall 2020 and is compatible with Series 3 and later.

watchOS 7 brought new features like native sleep tracking, Family Setup, watch face sharing, new workout tracking types, cycling directions in maps, and automatic handwashing reminders.

Apple Fitness+ support and new cardio fitness notifications came with watchOS 7.2 And watchOS 7.4 is coming with the exciting new Apple Watch unlock for iPhone feature.

Current Apple Watch lineup

For all the latest deals on Apple Watch, bands, and accessories, check out 9to5Toys.com.

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On Kuo’s latest Apple Watch report and the lack of nuance

Apple Watch Series 9

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new report this week focused on the future of the Apple Watch lineup. According to the analyst, the Apple Watch lineup coming in 2024 is unlikely to “have significant innovative experiences.”

This report, combined with several other recent ones, has made me realize the need for nuance in our coverage. Hear me out…

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Original Apple Watch, including $17,000 gold model, no longer eligible for repairs

Original Apple Watch no longer eligible for repairs, including $17,000 gold model

It’s been nine years since Apple announced the very first Apple Watch to the world – although it only hit the stores in April 2015. In 2021, the first-generation Apple Watch entered Apple’s list of “vintage” products, which means that repairs have become limited. Now Apple has classified the original Apple Watch as obsolete, putting an end to any chances of having one repaired by official means.

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Problems with Apple Watch weather complication persist; company suggests two fixes

Apple Watch weather complication | Screengrab showing no data

If your Apple Watch weather complication is not working, we already found one workaround that seems to help, but Apple now has two suggested fixes.

What is happening for a significant number of people is that all weather complications – conditions, temperature, and precipitation – show no data, with two dashes where the numbers should be

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Tempo now lets you add custom scheduled workouts to the Apple Watch Workout app

One of the wonderful things about relying on indie developers to make great apps is the fact that they almost always adopt new features on day one. Take Tempo 5 for example. Apple just released iOS 17 and watchOS 10 with a new custom workout feature for developers, and Tempo has already baked in support for planning and add custom run, walk, and hike workouts.

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Apple puts top Apple Silicon exec in charge of Apple Watch blood glucose monitoring project

poll watchOS 10 features Apple Watch

Apple is doubling down on its ambitious project that aims to bring noninvasive blood sugar monitoring to the Apple Watch. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the company has put one of its most important senior chip executives in charge of the project. The move signals Apple’s continued commitment to this project.

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On-device Siri processing might resolve one of the biggest pain points of using the Apple Watch

Alongside the iPhone 15 announcement, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 9 this week. It was a relatively minor iterative update, but one feature in particular caught my attention: offline Siri.

Siri can be frustrating at the best of times, but it is particularly poor on the Apple Watch due to its seemingly unstable network connection. A long pause and a “Working on that” announcement is an ever too common experience. Offline Siri with the Apple Watch Series 9 could make this a thing of the past.

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Hermès still offers Apple Watch Series 9 with leather bands in its online store

Hermès still offers Apple Watch Series 9 with leather bands in its online store

Apple this week unveiled the new Apple Watch Series 9, and although it has kept the same design as the previous generation, the company has announced a variety of new watch bands – including the new FineWoven bands that replace the leather ones. Hermès has made a commitment to Apple to create more environmentally friendly bands, but it turns out that the brand will continue to sell Apple Watches with leather bands.

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Apple’s FineWoven cases and bands come in these colors, plus all the other new accessories

Apple FineWoven iPhone cases, wallet, more

Alongside the new iPhones and Apple Watches, as rumored, Apple made the move to eliminate leather accessories. The premium replacement is called FineWoven and comes in up to five colors for iPhone 15 cases, MagSafe wallets, Apple Watch bands, and more. Check out everything below plus all the other new official Apple accessories.

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Here’s a sneak preview of a FineWoven Apple Watch band, as more details emerge

Sneak preview of FineWoven Apple Watch band

Twitter user Kosutami, who often manages to get their hands on prototype versions of Apple products, has posted a sneak preview of a FineWoven Apple Watch band.

The new fabric material is expected to replace leather for both iPhone cases and Watch bands, and to be officially announced alongside the iPhone 15 lineup and one or more new Apple Watch models in today’s event …

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