Absolutely this. I hope for improvements on the battery and UX front as well.
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Apple Watch Likely to Gain Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, and Blood Alcohol Monitoring
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Indeed. Some of those named are not shipping to the public, only in trial stages. And those that are seem to be geared towards type 2 diabetes only, which is the more common kind but would be disappointingly limited.
What would impress me as much as a non-invasive method whose accuracy rivals that of stick-on sensors such as FreeStyle Libre, if and when(ever) it can be done for all diabetics, is the cost saving. A 28-day (two-unit) supply of the Libre sensors costs around/slightly more than £50 if purchased privately and creates a lot of plastic and electronics waste over a year for a single patient.
Hmm, I think - certainly for the blood-alcohol monitoring - it could be referring to this study and others that use bioimpediance instead of blood samples. This, like 'smart' home bathroom scales, aren't especially accurate.. so I'm not sold on this being able to relay the kinds of reading people are expecting.
This is fantastic. I’m skeptical (for now) that any non invasive Blood Glucose monitoring would be accurate enough for a diabetic to dose insulin but even if it’s in the ballpark it’s a good step for overall health. With a little education and a tool like this a user would think twice before pounding some cola. Or just assessing the health of the users carbohydrate metabolism is so Important now. Even being used as early detection if you see avg blood glucose rise over time. (insulin is a better and earlier marker here but for a non invasive approach it’s great).
Im also wondering if all of this will come at the ”expense“ of a redesign and obsolescence of original bands as this would probably mitigate a drop in sales due to that.
Im also wondering if all of this will come at the ”expense“ of a redesign and obsolescence of original bands as this would probably mitigate a drop in sales due to that.
I don't even think they will go that far. I think it would be more like a lifestyle add-on or maybe a training add for sports people - track mean glucose levels over time in athletes during training and such
If this is the definition of treading water, we should start wishing our friends and family to be treading water!
Correct. I'm pretty sure Apple is smart enough to not come out and swing for the fences the first time around. It'll be an iterative process, exactly like the various companies who do those awful Constant Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems (eg: Medtronic, the maker of my pump). The first generation of their CGM was: "Hey, just use this to watch trends. Don't dose off of it. TEST YOUR BLOOD SUGAR MANUALLY!" The second generation was more of the same, "This is getting a lot better, but we recommend you not dosing off this. Test before you eat or if you think you need a correction."
However, the third generation (where they are now) is fully FDA-approved to be called an "artificial pancreas" when combined with their pump. For folks who the CGM works properly: they can use the system to alter the insulin delivery of the pump if they go too low; in other words it'll pause the pump and alert the diabetic; quite loudly and annoyingly, too.
Those iterations took almost ten years, give or take.
The simple ability to watch trends for a diabetic is invaluable. Even if it isn't 100% accurate, just knowing the direction the blood glucose is going at any given time is huge. And this is likely where the first generation of the Apple Watch would go. Sign. Me. Up!
THAT would be impossible without actual blood.
I don't think they would add these all at once. They would be incremental on each new series.
Remember how 10 years ago everyone who wanted their heart rate measured needed to wear a belt around their chest because it was deemed impossible to get an accurate heart rate measurement from the wrist?
Blood pressure - if that's the case I would definitely need to upgrade my 6 to the 7. I wonder how they would pull that off.
Imagining the following scenario...Apple Car or vehicle supporting Apple Car Key...linked to Apple Watch that detects blood alcohol level. Won't unlock or let the car turn on with positive blood alcohol test. Or, family sharing enabled on Apple Watch for kids where BAC is flagged and notified to parental unit.
Except with the Apple Car, the Car could simply take over and drive for the alcohol-impaired owner/driver.
Blood Alcohol measuring/metering? Interesting.
Is Apple going to work with car manufacturers and M.A.A.D. to be a platform to limit drinking and driving?
Let's be real, though. Apple is going to stagger these additions over 3 years for maximum sales potential. And since they don't really have any real competition in this space, they can do that.
With lockdown's slowly going down here in Ontario (sooner than later I hope), and with summer coming ... you betchya I'm gonna test with a LOT of rum
just to see what fun I an have with it.
Manulife sub-business initiative right?
This is where iOS/WatchOS and ATT will have a SIGNIFICANT importance!
- no leaking your health tracking data where it can affect your health insurance support itself.
Why isnt there a simple thermometer sensor? That sounds, REALLY simple to put in there especially with COVID along side the blood oxy sensor.