Apple Watch

UnitedHealthcare has announced a new program that it hopes will entice its members to use wearables like Apple Watch to stay active and focus on their health. Through the new UnitedHealthcare Rewards program, “eligible members” can earn up to $1,000 per year in incentives when they complete certain one-time and ongoing activities with their Apple Watch or other devices.

A pair of recent rumors (with contradicting timelines) have suggested that Apple could overhaul the Apple Watch lineup with the introduction of a so-called “Apple Watch Series X.”

Here’s why we’d treat these rumors with a major dose of skepticism, even though it’s totally possible Apple releases an “Apple Watch Series X” at some point down the line.

CIRP is out with an interesting report today that looks at ownership patterns for Apple customers. With Apple having just crossed the milestone of 2 billion active devices for the first time, here’s how many products the average Apple customer owns, how popular iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch are compared to iPhone, and more.

While the Apple Watch is one of the most popular fitness trackers on the market, Apple has always tiptoed around the device’s usefulness as a weight loss tool. A new report from the Washington Post explores recent research that says wearing a fitness tracker like the Apple Watch “doesn’t necessarily give people the motivation to change their behavior.”

Nomad is out with a nice update today for its website that makes it quick and easy to visualize your exact Apple Watch with the company’s different bands and link bracelets. Apple Watch DesignLab lets you pick your watch with its specific model, size, and finish to see precisely how it will look with all of Nomad’s bands.

As previously announced, Microsoft has dropped support for the Microsoft Authenticator app on Apple Watch. The company blamed this decision on watchOS being “incompatible with Authenticator security features.” There are a couple of other options for Apple Watch users, though…

Apple on Thursday shared results for its fiscal 2023 first quarter, which covers the months of October, November, and December 2022. Despite a 5% decline in revenue compared to the same period last year, the company says it saw a record number of first-time buyers of the Apple Watch in Q1 2023.

The Apple Watch is set to make a splash throughout the World Surf League’s season this year. The WSL has announced that the Apple Watch is now “the official wearable equipment” of the league, and there’s a new WSL Surfer app that will “provide athletes with key information in real-time.”

Apple Watch collects a number of biometric data points on its own, but you can also combine Apple Watch data with data from other wearables and accessories. The Oura Ring is one of the more popular options on the market, and a new update this week brings deep integration with Apple Watch.

Nomad has launched a sharp new color for its popular Apple Watch Sport Band. The limited edition fluorescent “High Volta” offers a vibrant pop, particularly during the middle of winter. Read on for a hands-on look at this new Apple Watch band.

So what happened was… kind of unbelievable. Siri on an Apple Watch called emergency services from a gym in Australia, prompting 15 armed police officers to show up expecting an active shooter.

What has to be the most unlikely set of circumstances for a false alarm happened in Australia on Tuesday.

For the first four versions, Apple Watch couldn’t always display the time like a basic watch could. That’s been solved since the Apple Watch Series 5, and now there’s even an Apple Watch that can tell time when turned off.

Apple is continuing its trend of releasing special-edition Apple Watch and iPhone content and products for Black History Month in February. Today, Apple has officially announced a new Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, a matching watch face and iPhone wallpaper, plus Apple Maps Guides, TV/film and Podcasts collections, and more.

Fully wireless breast pump Willow has gained the convenience and control of Apple Watch support today. The company says it’s the first in-bra wireless pump to deliver the handy feature that offers an even more seamless experience.

Evidence continues to mount that the Apple Watch will switch to the latest-generation display technology starting in 2025. According to reliable analyst Ross Young, LG has started building a small production line for micro-LED displays ahead of Apple’s transition away from OLED. This also plays into Apple’s plans to start making its own displays for Apple Watch and iPhone in-house…

A Bloomberg report about Apple custom displays is leading to some interesting takes on it. Like Apple is moving into the manufacturing business, or that the company doesn’t already use custom-designed displays.

Neither of these things is true, so I think it’s worth taking a look about what the report did and didn’t say – and what the implications are likely to be …

Apple has suffered a setback in its long-running Apple Watch patent infringement battle with medical technology company Masimo. A court has ruled that Apple has indeed infringed one of Masimo’s patents in the Apple Watch Series 6 and up.

Masimi is seeking a US import on all current Apple Watches. If granted, this would effectively end Apple Watch sales in the US, as the company would not be allowed to bring in the devices from China …

Earlier this month, analyst Jeff Pu reported that Apple is planning to bring Micro OLED display technology to at least one Apple Watch model by 2024. Now Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has corroborated that report by saying that Apple is developing new Apple Watch models with brighter Micro LED displays.

Apple has another trick up its sleeve for reducing reliance on third-party suppliers and partners. According to Bloomberg, Apple is aiming to start using its own screens for the iPhone and Apple Watch. The transition is expected to begin with the version of the Apple Watch Ultra released in 2024, the report says.

Apple is set to make an upgrade to the Apple Watch display technology as soon as 2025, according to a new report from reliable analyst Ross Young. While the Apple Watch lineup currently uses OLED display tech, Young reports that Apple is targeting a switch to micro-LED starting in 2025…

A new study has been published that demonstrates Apple Watch has the accuracy with its heart rate sensor to help users track stress. Fortunately, while we wait to see if Apple will launch a native stress monitoring experience, its wearable already tracks an important stress-related metric that third-party apps are already using.