Apple Watch Pro

[Brisby]

So I was wondering what people would like to see if Apple were to introduce an Apple Watch Pro this year or at some point in the future.

Personally I think it would be great to see the watch lose its dependency on iPhone and be a stand alone product. Also a complete edge to edge display would be pretty slick and maybe 2mm bigger.

 

[Itinj24]

120 Hz

Lol I kid I kid

I think the Watch is pretty pro the way it is. I’d like to see the blood oxygen sensor, would hope for a thermometer if possible on the wrist and whatever other health sensors they can add with accuracy. If anything, I’d say they remove features from an “SE” model and what we have now will be the pro. Making it plastic, no LTE variant, maybe remove ECG kinda like the rumored AirPods Pro Lite or whatever it will be called.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Removing dependency on the iPhone isn’t going to happen any time soon, unfortunately.

As to features, thermometer, SPo2, and better water resistance are the top features I am looking for in a top tier Apple Watch.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I think "Pro" is the wrong word. It implies something used for work, and while anything can be used for work, the Watch is intended to be a purely personal device - measuring the user's activity, vital signs, etc. A medical professional is not going to use their Apple Watch to measure the pulse of a patient - the patient will have his/her own Watch for that purpose.

Now, maybe Apple will someday sell a Watch intended for use by hospitals - slap one on the wrist of every patient to monitor heart rate, detect falls, etc. No need to pair with an iPhone - just connect to a hospital wifi network and some sort of backend server. However, they'd also have to be easily cleaned and sterilized (at the moment, the water resistance of Watch includes exceptions for high-pressure water and saunas/steam rooms). The bands would likely be inexpensive and disposable (medical waste, after all). That could be a kind of "Pro" watch, but not in the way Apple normally uses the term.

Apple has marketed Watch as a fashion item - "Pro" would be the Hermés model, or Edition (gold back in the beginning, titanium or ceramic today). Stainless and sapphire instead of aluminum and Ion-X Glass.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Removing dependency on the iPhone isn’t going to happen any time soon, unfortunately.

As to features, thermometer, SPo2, and better water resistance are the top features I am looking for in a top tier Apple Watch.

I agree. As far as iPhone dependency, an iPhone-free Watch would need to back up to the cloud, instead of the iPhone. It would need more battery capacity because sustained cellular and wifi connections require more power than bluetooth. It's just not time yet. Given a choice between tethering to an iPhone and getting 48-72 hours between charges and not tethering to an iPhone but getting 18-36 hours between charges, most people will take 48-72.

As to thermometer, SPo2, etc., I think Apple will follow its current path - they're promising medical/health benefits, so anybody willing to buy this year's model should get the same benefits regardless of whether the case is aluminum or titanium (socialized medicine, not the U.S. system). Budget model offers last year's feature set. The advantage is simplicity and straightforward marketing messages - spend time thinking about style, rather than comparing spec sheets.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I agree. As far as iPhone dependency, an iPhone-free Watch would need to back up to the cloud, instead of the iPhone. It would need more battery capacity because sustained cellular and wifi connections require more power than bluetooth. It's just not time yet. Given a choice between tethering to an iPhone and getting 48-72 hours between charges and not tethering to an iPhone but getting 18-36 hours between charges, most people will take 48-72.

As to thermometer, SPo2, etc., I think Apple will follow its current path - they're promising medical/health benefits, so anybody willing to buy this year's model should get the same benefits regardless of whether the case is aluminum or titanium (socialized medicine, not the U.S. system). Budget model offers last year's feature set. The advantage is simplicity and straightforward marketing messages - spend time thinking about style, rather than comparing spec sheets.

I wish the thermometer feature was happening this year with SPo2. That would be an instant buy for me. I am guessing that will come next year.

You raised good points about independence. Apple should allow for tethering to the ipad, in my opinion. Many of us have and use the cellular model iPad the most and I would appreciate such a feature in the interim.

 

[44267547]

So I was wondering what people would like to see if Apple were to introduce an Apple Watch Pro this year or at some point in the future.

Personally I think it would be great to see the watch lose its dependency on iPhone and be a stand alone product. Also a complete edge to edge display would be pretty slick and maybe 2mm bigger.

The marketing for ‘Pro’ sounds really gimmicky. Apple used this for the iPhone, so how do you make a smart watch ‘Pro’? At the end of the day, it’s just smart watch, no matter what Apple ads for competitive features. Plus, if they use a ‘Pro’ moniker for an Apple Watch, it’s just another reason to increase the price tag, which probably isn’t in their best interest right now given the economy, let alone the stainless/ceramic models are the most difficult to sell as it is.

 

[rdavis41]

Solar Charging to help offset the battery drain. The shape of the watch lends itself well to allow this as a possibility.