I know none of us know anything but would it be safe to assume that with the 7th gen having a new form factor, we're probably pretty safe for a bit for going without any big splashes? I mean they've been throwing out this rumor for years now.
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New Apple Watch Health Features Coming This Year, but Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Sensors Delayed
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The temperature sensor sounds like a nice addition. I really hope they make sleep tracking on par with Fitbit. I also wouldn't mind having a UV sensor that tracks your UV exposure similar to how the Watch can track you environmental sound exposure.
Having blood pressure and glucose monitoring would be a huge game changer.
Having blood pressure and glucose monitoring would be a huge game changer.
There's the alleged rugged watch coming this year - that will be the biggest change by the sounds of things.
Will stick with my Apple Watch 4 until they either have BP or Glucose readings. Looks like it will be 2025 for BP.
I will also stick with the 4. It does everything I need from ECG to sleep monitoring to health and fitness and more. I would like to see them upgrade the ECG to a multi-lead reading instead of the 1 lead reading that the series 4 watch has right now. The new AliveCor monitor is a 6 lead monitor and the info it provides is extremely helpful (such as pre-mature contractions, Supraventricular ectopy and more). I don't know if it is technically possible to add more leads to the watch, but that would be an upgrade I would buy.
As long as Apple restricts third parties from accessing iMessage and other major parts of iOS, it’s going to be very hard for Garmin to lure many Apple Watch users or potential Apple Watch users away.
Garmin definitely seems to make good progress each year with power efficiency, but it’s important to realize that they have a very different type of platform.
I have an s5 and I think the only things I really would like are much better battery life which isn’t yet available and the larger screen that is now available, so if the health features don’t make an entrance perhaps they will give us that. Might get this years if the chip is vastly more efficient but we may need to wait for next year and 3nm. The extra health features are going to be really welcome though for many when they do roll around.
If it was accurate and useful for a diabetic it would definitely have me buy a new Apple Watch. I have a series 3 LTE model and while I like some of the features like Apple pay and getting notifications, there is not enough in the watch as is to ever have me buy another one. I want to move away from junk tech that gets replaced or obsolete every 4 or 5 years and something like a watch should not be one of those disposable devices, at least for me personally. I don't judge anyone else wanting one. Next watch I will spend around the same price point on a quality watch that I can see keeping till the day I die and never worry about software updates, computer glitches, non replaceable batteries or no longer being supported and receiving updates which in turn kills usability. As a T1 diabetic though, if it can replace my need for regular finger pricking for blood tests I would jump on this in a heart beat at a significantly higher price point as well... if it is accurate. I think maybe a hold up is getting it accurate for proper blood sugar monitoring as that would be a huge industry first. I know others have it but I am pretty sure they are not accurate enough for a diabetic to replace their monitoring equipment at the moment which is why no big deal is really made out of them.
Yep. Just look at the disaster going on right now with Oura. I had a Gen 2 Oura ring, but I decided to leave the platform because of all the pressure to get people to upgrade early and the move to subscriptions and hardware cost. As it turns out, they weren’t even close to being ready to launch the newly advertised features. It now appears to have been a sales grab with a bunch of empty promises.
Gonna finally upgrade my Series 3 to the Series 8. Apparently watchOS 9 will drop the Series 3 so it’s finally time.
I believe that Apple had an easier time bringing the M1 chip to market than they will have with some medical apps. Biggest reason is the demand for testing from the FDA and other government agencies. The old fashioned finger prick is faster delivering results than the Dexcom, because Dexcom utilizes the fluid in your belly area instead of blood. While Dexcom delivers established data immediately to the iPhone (or their device) they do wait 3 hours before delivering it ti Apple's Health App - I can't figure that one out.
When Apple delivers new Health Apps for the Watch don't be surprised if they are modifications on what we are used to. OSIRIX will not be as comprehensive on the Watch as it is on the iPad - there will need to be compromises.
When Apple delivers new Health Apps for the Watch don't be surprised if they are modifications on what we are used to. OSIRIX will not be as comprehensive on the Watch as it is on the iPad - there will need to be compromises.
I agree it’s a different platform. But I think there’s a subset of Apple users that actually prefer, something simple, less connected and which can also live beyond the ecosystem.
If one isn’t likely to use third party apps, Garmin’s stock apps are quite good and decent compatibility with iOS. Sure, no iMessage or AppleMusic, but you will get notifications and it supports Spotify.
Plus the wide range of styles, round watch face and rugged looks is a nice contrast to the AW. I’m hoping Apple’s rumoured rugged watch will see the light sooner than later.
I don’t know pro I think it might take some time for it to be totally accurate at least the technology is on the way
Valid points. I’ve come close to going to Garmin again a couple times. The new Fenix 7 range looks awesome and having over a week of battery life is almost impossible for me to imagine nowadays. I agree that the people you’re referring to are definitely out there.
I’ve used Garmin in the past and could go through all my thoughts on the key differences. The most crucial thing, in my opinion, is that Apple doesn’t chase niche markets. They shoot for the mainstream/mass market. I think the subgroup you’re referring to is a niche market that wouldn’t make up many sales. I have no market research to back that up. It’s just my guess. I doubt that you’ll ever see the level of fitness/sport functionality of Garmin showing up on an Apple Watch, natively speaking. There will continue to be third party apps that provide some more advanced sports metrics.
Garmin, on the other hand, has slowly been creeping into the mainstream market with the Venu lineup. With the Venu 2+ they finally at least implemented the ability to use Siri/Google Assistant/Bixby on your phone from the watch. From the iOS side, I’m not sure how much more they can do, since Apple locks down core functionality from third parties. Maybe they could figure out how to allow more detailed customization of notifications with iOS?
My point is just that I think the number of people swayed over to Garmin is very small, and many that try it are quickly frustrated with the lack of integration for even basic things (I.e., can’t customize notifications, can’t respond to messages, can snooze notifications for apps, can’t use Apple Music, etc.). All of this means that Apple just doesn’t have a lot of incentive to change things to be more like a Garmin. Garmin, on the other hand, has a lot to gain by widening their target market and edging into mainstream.
It’ll be interesting to see what Apple does with a rugged Apple Watch, if it truly sees the light of day. My guess would be that it’ll mostly be centered around a more rugged body. I don’t see there being functionality on it that the rest of the line up lacks. Solar power would be useless on the Apple Watch, too, so I’d be shocked if that happened.
Interesting topic of discussion! Thanks for chatting on it. I could be completely wrong, obviously, and I’m not saying you’re definitely wrong. Just my $0.02.
There needs to be a way that you can add and modify your medical profile information from your iCloud account via the computer and iPad rather than just the iPhone. Also, the two most important are blood pressure and blood sugar. Please make this you top #1 priority.
It depends of how close band / strap is pushing a watch towards a wrist. For me they were valid (+- 2%) when I changed from OEM to well fit band. They were enough to track me after 3rd dose of covid vaccine and told me (no pop up
just information I analyzed ) that 3-4 weeks later I might got sick (which was true out of sudden). Had drop from 98-100% to 88-94.
So don’t buy it then.
That’s how technology works, it costs money to implement new features that benefit the user, but that new technology comes at a price, which is passed down to the consumer. But in that same respect, Apple will likely offer a lower valued Apple Watch that doesn’t include all the latest technology, for the more budget consumer-minded individuals like yourself.
"Risk" is a death sentence in health. Once your credibility is shot, you will never get it back. I'm glad Apple is taking their time.