Apple Watch

We’ve grown accustom to new Apple Watches debuting alongside iPhones each fall since the Series 1 and Series 2 launch in 2016, but does Apple Watch need a ‘Series 5’ this year to stay competitive? Probably not, and Apple waiting until 2020 to introduce the next generation of Apple Watch doesn’t seem impossible.

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It’s easy to dismiss how reliant a modern lifestyle is on the ability to constantly charge batteries and consume large quantities of data over WiFi. Even minor interruptions to internet and electrical services can be frustrating inconveniences, but how do iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macs fare during an extended period off the grid? I unexpectedly found out this week.

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Last week, Apple revealed that it had disabled the Walkie-Talkie feature on Apple Watch due to an exploit that could have allowed someone to secretly eavesdrop. With the release of watchOS 5.3 and iOS 12.4 today, Apple has restored Walkie-Talkie functionality for Apple Watch.

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Apple is today launching the ECG app in two additional countries. With the release of watchOS 5.3, the ECG app and irregular heart rate notifications to Canada and Singapore.

The electrocardiagram sensor hardware is included in all Apple Watch Series 4 units, but is disabled through software in countries where it has not got approval. The good news is Apple Watch Series 4 owners in Canada and Singapore can now update to watchOS 5.3 to use the ECG app.

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In a profile of Apple SVP Jeff Williams, now widely expected to be next-in-line for the CEO job whenever Tim Cook decides to leave the company, Bloomberg cites employee sources that paint a picture of Williams as a Cook-doppelganger.

Williams now oversees all of Apple’s hardware development and design. The report says a weekly review meeting is formally called ‘New Product Review’, but some employees refer to it as the ‘Jeff Review’, as it is he who they need to impress.

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Apple is apparently in advanced talks with Taiwanese display manufacturers to introduce microLED displays into its products as soon as next year, via Economic Daily News.

The company is apparently readying an Apple Watch featuring a microLED screen, replacing the current OLED panel manufactured by LG Display.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about my kids, and how we will approach technology as they get older. I recently wrote about our approach to social media, and that led me to thinking about how I will approach cell phone usage in their lives. My oldest son will turn nine this year, so it’s something I know is going to come up sooner rather than later. After thinking about the role of a cell phone in a child’s life, I’ve realized that an Apple Watch with a LTE connection will eventually become the perfect kid cell phone. We’re not quite there yet technology-wise, but I can see a day when all the stars will align.
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Apple Watch’s ECG functionality has saved a lot of lives, but the latest example shows how the low and high resting heart rate alerts are also uncovering unknown heart issues. After seeing multiple low resting heart rate warnings, a 48-year-old recently discovered he had ventricular bigeminy and was able to address the heart condition with surgery before it caused any issues.

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If you ever feel nostalgic for the classic iPod, you might enjoy the Elago W6, the Apple Watch stand that thinks it’s an iPod.

It’s not the first time Elago has done something like this. Back in 2017, it created the W3, based on the original Macintosh …

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The Apple Watch is yet again being credited with helping someone contact emergency services when it otherwise would have been impossible. As detailed by WBMM, a Chicago man is crediting his Apple Watch with helping save him from drowning.

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Apple has disabled the Walkie-Talkie service on Apple Watch this morning, due to an unknown exploit that could have allowed a stranger to eavesdrop the Apple Watch microphone without consent.

Apple told TechCrunch it just became aware of the issue. The company says they do not believe any unscrupulous actor took advantage of the vulnerability.

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The Apple Watch receives a huge update with watchOS 6, bringing more independence to Apple’s wearable device than ever before. Among the watchOS 6 changes is a brand new App Store app that allows you to manage and download apps directly to the Apple Watch, a new Software Update provision that lets you perform updates, and a new Enhanced Siri voice assistant that’s much more capable than before.

Of course, there’s also many new watch faces, complications, and additional changes and features to enjoy in watchOS 6. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we step through dozens of new watchOS 6 changes and features.
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In the very first episode of our new Watch Time podcast, Benjamin Mayo and I talk about how the Apple Watch has become a critical part of our lives. We don’t have to use Apple Watches for our jobs, but we both insist on wearing it all day for the same reason: Apple Watch improves our lives.

For the next three months, Watch Time will explore how the Apple Watch is making an impact in the lives of people from many backgrounds, and we’ll share highlights from those conversations at 9to5mac.com/guides/watch-time-stories. Subscribe to our 9to5Mac Watch Time podcast to automatically receive new episodes from season one every two weeks, and read on for highlights and more from our first episode.

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With the release of watchOS 6 beta 3, Apple Watch owners are now able to delete (some) stock apps from their devices, allowing users to clean up their honeycomb grid home screen of apps for the first time.

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