Yeah completely agree - I only ended up with the S9 as I managed to break my S7! Otherwise would still be on the 7 as it is the last "big" upgrade, following the original and the S4...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Watch Blood Pressure Feature Hits More Snags in Apple's Testing
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That’s what happens when you steal another company’s IP. You get sued and injunctions are granted in the US.
We have it in Europe still, not that anybody actually uses it, after the first curiosity test back 4 years ago when pulse-ox was scaremongered as an early indicator of severe COVID outcome.
Real article title: Mark Gurman is full of sh(i)t. 🥲
Btw, he also said Apple would ditch the small-size Apple Watch in 2024.
Btw, he also said Apple would ditch the small-size Apple Watch in 2024.
Even if you're within 5-10 points of a 'true' reading from a cuff, that's still better for many people than not having any alert of a potential health issue...as they say, the best test is the one patients will actually take.
I posted about this in a previous thread months ago when Apple first realised it couldn't currently do blood pressure monitoring with a watch.
There's very few wrist-worn devices which can "measure" blood pressure and they all require regular calibration with a proper blood pressure monitor. The devices can only record changes - is blood pressure going up, down or staying roughly the same.
Aktia is one of the few (only one?) to be clinically validated, and every website keeps it rather quiet that it comes with an arm-cuff bpm which is required to be used "at least once per month" according to instructions.
There's very few wrist-worn devices which can "measure" blood pressure and they all require regular calibration with a proper blood pressure monitor. The devices can only record changes - is blood pressure going up, down or staying roughly the same.
Aktia is one of the few (only one?) to be clinically validated, and every website keeps it rather quiet that it comes with an arm-cuff bpm which is required to be used "at least once per month" according to instructions.
He literally just said that you shouldn't! Just wear a blood pressure cuff all day. What's wrong with that?
Pretty much everyone uses it. It's collecting trending information even if you don't actively go and check.
Or are you somehow suggesting that all of Europe got together and collectively decided to disable the sensor?
While I get your point regarding someone using what is readily available, if accuracy can fluctuate that much, how useful is it really? I imagine a 10 point swing (using your example) in diastolic pressure is way more significant than for systolic. Even if it was a consistent error, I doubt someone who wants to rely solely on a watch for BP monitoring cares enough to do regular calibration to assure themselves their device’s delta is consistent.
The commercially available wrist cuff devices are measuring at the back (under) side of the wrist, not the top. They are still overall less accurate than arm cuff. I know we are talking about “technology” here, and I suppose almost anything is possible given enough time. I just don’t think we are there yet for a watch-like device work on top of the wrist.
That's exactly the issue, not there yet, not to Apple's standard. But there was a time when a phone in a watch wasn't technically possible either and yet here we are
Apple is grasping at straws. Bring the real deal, or don’t bring anything at all.
Yeah, it struck me as odd but hey they are the experts. The readings must be reliable in some way otherwise why would they bother asking? Perhaps the external factors / change across the day is useful to know?
The appointment is tomorrow so I am going to ask them about the accuracy of the continuous monitor.
If it could track BP increasing / decreasing I’d still find that very useful even if the absolute numbers weren’t accurate.
Is that so? Had no idea the app was running in the background collecting data. For what specific purpose though? I’m at a loss here.
It can’t be a valuable data set, imagine only they could perhaps correlate with users who live in particular (urban) locations with significant air pollution, tracking that over decades, in tandem with prevalence of chronic pulmonary disease across all age groups.
As one, I wouldn’t be so quick to assume expertise. Competence is a more realistic hope/expectation 😆
I’d definitely ask! There’s a few possible reasons, such as participation in a research study (although that should have been highlighted at the outset and your informed consent obtained) or perhaps they’re “testing” outside of a controlled trial setting for the manufacturers of said-wearable. Did they give you a timescale, like “wear this until your next appt” or similar?
There must be a rationale as you only utilise diagnostic tests or monitoring when the results are significant enough to confirm or exclude certain pathologies or alter therapeutic management. Otherwise, why bother? It’s a waste of time and resources at their end.
Even if it was accurate (which we know, it isn’t currently) that constant stream of BP data across the day is of no clinical use unless you also capture the circumstances in which it was obtained. That’s why the phenomenon of “white coat hypertension” is very real and readings interpreted accordingly. Likewise some hypertensive pts may suffer from postural hypotension, which requires further investigation as to cause, but again, approximate continuous readings without context, are of no use here. Quality over quantity, like most things in life.
I'm not a doctor and I know some people say that tracking/trending Sp02 is useless as it fluctuates so much, but it seems like it's still useful for trends. A change in Sp02 during sleep, for example, might be indicative. Or a change in trend at rest. Or maybe even exercise at altitude. It seems that there are uses for it, in addition to the macro-trending that you're suggesting.
You'll see it in the Health app.
More just Gurman covering his butt rather than writing a retraction. Just admit you got the timetable wrong. It wasn't Series 10 and it won't be Series 11 and you don't know when or if it is coming. Is that so hard to say?
That’s likely a line straight out of an objection handler given to Apple Marketing/Sales when they’re asked how reliable/useful it is. No coincidence they pushed it hard during the pandemic.
Unless Apple have signed license agreement with a company that hold patents for blood pressure measuring/monitoring then I doubt a blood pressure version of the watch will last long because someone who hold patents on blood pressure measuring/monitoring will claim Apple stole/infringed on their patents.
I mean they have not even managed to bring back EKG without using someone else's IPs. Should probably focus on that first
If it is as accurate as those, why wouldn't you rely on it? Especially if you already have it for other features.
So you think that given the choice of having trending data or not having trending data, the best choice is not having trending data?
You mean Sp02 right? And that is still here unless you're in the US, where it's disabled.
I do, yes. As “trending data” of Sp02 is of no clinical use to either the individual or a cohort. It’s very easy to become obsessed with meaningless data points instead of a more holistic picture of health.