Future Apple Watch Rumored to Include Glucose Monitoring and Smart Bands

[UltimaKilo]

I really don't think it's impossible to create a non-invasive glucose monitoring system. However, it doesn't seem to be likely in the next 2-3 years.

Of course, if Apple is close to a breakthrough, they would clearly want to keep this tech close to the vest and wait until it is fully mature before moving forward.

 

[44267547]

Remember that the Series 2 was also rumored to have a glucose monitor and other additions. The vast majority of rumors don't come true. Don't get your hopes up.

These rumors may not have validity as of today. But don't doubt Apple investing in health related advancements like this in the future, especially how focused they are with health and the Apple Watch is a way for them to express this, along side with Healh Kit as well. With their research and development budget, these "Rumors" very well may be reality one day. It's just a matter when.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

A great medical device.

 

[igneousc]

You're quoting a report from BGR? LOL Have they every posted anything other than click bait?

yeah they're one of the worst tech sites left, I dunno how they survive.

 

[IJ Reilly]

In 2015, Cook said that it was possible to imagine Apple putting a device through FDA approval in an interview with the Telegraph.

"We don’t want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process. I wouldn’t mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long..."

To me, "adjacent" means not attached. Unless the reason is technical I can't see a reason why a glucose monitor needs to be in a watch band, or why it should even want to be there, when it can just as readily be worn somewhere else on the body and communicate with the watch via bluetooth.

 

[robjulo]

The uninformed Apple worship by some in this thread is almost laughable. Yes, the heros from Apple are going to magically do what no other medical device company has been able to do, in their first foray into the medical device space. Wow.

 

[341328]

It would be nice if the fitness device allowed more than 1 playlist. #ridiculous

 

[izyreal]

If the next Watch has a glucose monitor that is good enough to be useful, then I will be gifting them to my elderly relatives like candy. They need an "old mode" UI to make it work.

 

[bbeagle]

The uninformed Apple worship by some in this thread is almost laughable. Yes, the heros from Apple are going to magically do what no other medical device company has been able to do, in their first foray into the medical device space. Wow.

Apple did a pretty good job in their first foray into the phone industry, did they not? They completely changed the industry.

And don't think apple is just comprised of a bunch of newby engineers just learning about medical devices. They hire the best in the field that have worked at other medical companies, and buy other companies technology outright. It's not at all how you describe it.

 

[drewyboy]

For all those saying they'd buy it for glucose monitoring, I ask why. I have a hard time believing this many people in MR forums even need to pay attention to their levels.

 

[dannyyankou]

I don't trust BGR

http://bgr.com/2011/06/21/apple-iph...-all-announcement-and-availability-in-august/

 

[drewyboy]

When people start getting told "we could have spotted your cancer earlier if you'd worn an (Apple Watch or similar device) to monitor your blood chemistry", it's a necessity in the most literal sense.

Sensationalize it why not... come on

 

[pat500000]

If only people could eat better, workout, and change lifestyle....this wouldn't be needed. Not likely though. Of course theres exception like dm 1. I respect Apple if they go through FDA approval which takes maybeA decade.

 

[SHirsch999]

If only people could eat better, workout, and change lifestyle....this wouldn't be needed. Not likely though. I respect Apple if they go through FDA approval which takes maybeA decade.

Educate yourself about Type 1 Diabetes, and then you can edit your post.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

The liability issues would probably never allow this to happen unless Apple absolutely perfected the technology, and it is very unlikely they are going to have this perfected in the near-term future.

Like the other doctor mentioned, if people mis-dose themselves based on a faulty measurement, it could be fatal. If we are talking about non-invasive measurements, the potential for user error (even if the technology was perfected), is incredibly high. Band misplacement, too loose/tight, etc.etc. could all lead to mis-measurements.

 

[rp2011]

Sending voice and pictures through the air without wires is simply not possible. That's crazy talk. Like a horseless carriage. No way no how.
If I can't wrap my head around it (and I'm a Harvard ed

The uninformed Apple worship by some in this thread is almost laughable. Yes, the heros from Apple are going to magically do what no other medical device company has been able to do, in their first foray into the medical device space. Wow.

You are jealous. You are jelly. You are jelly.

 

[frumpy16]

I work in medical device quality/regulatory affairs. I believe this article is materially inaccurate about the assertion that making glucose monitoring a feature of a band versus the watch would somehow make the watch itself out of scope for FDA approval or FDA purview. Here's the thing. A watch band alone cannot function and therefore cannot be classified as a standalone medical device. It can only be used in the context of the watch and hence an accessory. By definition a medical device accessory can only be an accessory to a parent medical device. This means that the watch itself would have to be registered as a medical device with the band as an accessory. There was a recent guidance document from FDA (link) that allows an accessory to be classified differently than the parent device (meaning the parent device could be high risk but an accessory could be low risk. Previously the accessory assumed the classification of the parent) but there is always a requirement for a parent device.

I would recommend Macrumors fact check this and adjust the article accordingly. I'm sure Apple itself is well aware of this fact as they've been actively engaged with FDA for some time now. One plausible approach could be to gain approval for the watch as the parent device and then subsequently be able to get new accessories approved independently of the watch (assuming the watch itself does not also change like a new generation). But that's not at all what the article says.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

If only people could eat better, workout, and change lifestyle....this wouldn't be needed. Not likely though. I respect Apple if they go through FDA approval which takes maybeA decade.

This is one of the most ignorant things I have ever heard.

 

[Soccertess]

finally a good rumour! Maybe Tim hasn't completely destroyed the company.

This is the Apple watch what we should have gotten in the beginning If this comes true, two thumbs up for Apple!

I should disclose I am disappointed with the Apple watch, and there strategy releasing it. And the 10k gold watch? Glad that silliness is over with.

But I should mention that wasn't it Musk who said that the Apple watch would get interesting at 3rd gen? (something like that).

 

[HarryWarden]

This!
What the heck is up with all this "measuring your body"-frenzy?
I guess it's all about instant gratification. Yes, your heart rate went up when exercising, and yes, it didn't go up as high after a few weeks of training. Do you _really_ need a multi-thousand-dollar setup of phone and watch to actually know this?
Everybody's getting bored with posting food pictures on social media, now it's time to brag about heart rates and glucose levels. Yay.

Just imagine the conversations:

"My glucose is higher than yours. I win"

Response: "Uh, that's bad, dude. So I win. Suck it!"
[doublepost=1494901865][/doublepost]

The liability issues would probably never allow this to happen unless Apple absolutely perfected the technology, and it is very unlikely they are going to have this perfected in the near-term future.

Like the other doctor mentioned, if people mis-dose themselves based on a faulty measurement, it could be fatal. If we are talking about non-invasive measurements, the potential for user error (even if the technology was perfected), is incredibly high. Band misplacement, too loose/tight, etc.etc. could all lead to mis-measurements.

Can't the glucose monitoring systems in use and sold now be wrong? How is this any different other than it would be a new way of testing the same thing?
[doublepost=1494901992][/doublepost]

For all those saying they'd buy it for glucose monitoring, I ask why. I have a hard time believing this many people in MR forums even need to pay attention to their levels.

A number of people are pre-diabetic or close to it and don't even know it. If they did, they could make lifestyle changes necessary to perhaps prevent full-blown diabetes and the myriad of complications it brings with it.
[doublepost=1494902329][/doublepost]

This would be absolutely and utterly amazing if true. I don't have diabetes, but I do train a lot and can have blood glucose fluctuations, and it would be pretty cool to tell what my levels are with a minimally-invasive feature on the watch. This would be a game changer for millions of people and it would probably increase the sales of the Apple Watch 30 times over. If Apple succeeded at something like this, the Apple Watch could very well become as popular as the iPhone.

And since you pretty much need to own an iPhone for the Watch to function, Apple could sell millions more to people who switch from Android for the glucose monitoring.

 

[looking4anotebo]

There is no current non-invasive way to measure blood glucose in the medical industry - if there was, every diabetic would already be using it and we'd be using it in hospitals. We just aren't. Most of the devices floating about now are hit & miss, not very accurate and require calibrating with an actual blood sample.

I'm not saying it's impossible that Apple might come up with it, but it's pretty damn close to impossible. Plus, I doubt Apple is going to attempt to go down the road of making the Apple Watch a 'medical grade' device - slightly more hoops to jump over there (FDA in the US for a start)... for good reason. If it's not accurate, it will cost lives.

People who think blood glucose can be detected the same way the pulse is detected on the watch (using differential absorption of light), clearly have no understanding of physiology, physics or biochemistry... current monitors make a lot of assumptions.

And for non-diabetics, what the hell are you going to do with the data - the signal to noise ratio shrinks even further, yet we think we're all 'well informed'. The Dunning-Kruger effect on display.

I'm not sure it's that far-fetched. Doesn't sound like you have heard of continue glucose monitors.

 

[UL2RA]

And since you pretty much need to own an iPhone for the Watch to function, Apple could sell millions more to people who switch from Android for the glucose monitoring.

True, unless they come out with a stand-alone watch that can work independently of the phone.

 

[44267547]

If only people could eat better, workout, and change lifestyle....this wouldn't be needed. Not likely though. I respect Apple if they go through FDA approval which takes maybeA decade.

You need to look outside your broad stroked opinion and research health conditions. Not everyone can just "Eat better" or "Workout" to better their health when battling Diabetes or other ailments. But I understand your post reflects you don't understand this, which is why your "This wouldn't be needed" comment is inaccurate and is proven otherwise.

I take pride in my health, but others don't have that advantage. Something like this would be needed if it happens.

 

[UL2RA]

You need to look outside your broad stroked opinion and research health conditions. Not everyone can just "Eat better" or "Workout" to better their health when battling Diabetes or other ailments. But I understand your post reflects you don't understand this, which is why your "This wouldn't be needed" comment is inaccurate and is proven otherwise.

Be that as it may, obesity is a global epidemic ... and 85% of the diseases that people get from being overweight are either preventable or reversible. And 90% of the people that are overweight don't have genetics to blame. The world has problems. It can't be sugarcoated. With Type II Diabetics ... losing weight and getting healthy can greatly help or completely get rid of Type II Diabetes.

I take pride in my health, but others don't have that advantage. Something like this would be needed if it happens.

Correct. Some people don't have a choice, but most do.

 

[44267547]

Be that as it may, obesity is a global epidemic ... and 85% of the diseases that people get from being overweight are either preventable or reversible. And 90% of the people that are overweight don't have genetics to blame. The world has problems. It can't be sugarcoated. With Type II Diabetics ... losing weight and getting healthy can greatly help or completely get rid of Type II Diabetes.


Correct. Some people don't have a choice, but most do.

Exercise regiment is extremely important in one's life, if they are able to partake in that.

Some conditions can be greatly helped by diet and exercise, yes. Type II is treatable. Type I diabetes cannot be cured. There are not remedies for every cause that are out there was my point. There are situations where medical Advancements that could be of benefit for somebody that has an ailment that could be monitored versus cured in the long run.

But if you could have the advantage of having glucose monitoring, that would be crucial in the Smart watch era.