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No ECG for UK series 4?

Mercenary

Mercenary

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 17, 2012
1,243
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ECG!!! Fracking awesome! Then he mentions how it has usa clearance.

So I check the website and on the us site it talks about the electronic heart rate monitor. On the UK site no mention of the ECG at all.

If you check the specs in the actual UK store it mentions an electronic heart rate sensor but no confirmation that we will actually be able to use it or access the app that uses it.

One to watch I think.
 
Yep, terrible news, I was ready to upgrade but looks like I’ll keep my SS S0 for one more year
 
they did say they were in talks with the various governments,
so other countries could be added in a point release very easily.
 
Also note that the American website says ECG app coming later this year as well as Irregular rhythm notification coming later this year, so it sounds like neither are available at launch in any market.

EDIT: I'm in Denmark btw., and really hope the features are available from launch here as well. I really need those, especially the ECG.
 
The technology will probably be inside of the watch but not usable with a software restriction, but I do believe that it might be enabled when you change region in settings, but we must try that first.

I wonder if my country (The Netherlands) will allow it too.
I doubt it, since the Dutch government isn't really cooperative when it comes to stuff like that.
 
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Allowing you to read your heart rate using an electronic tracker is permissible anywhere. Like the totally wrong handles on the gym machines. The issue seems to be that Apple wants to gain ECG certification. They could easily allow an electronic reader and call it an ECG when they get approval.
 
It seems like a regulatory thing. Being FDA approved was likely a prerequisite to launching the feature in the US and I’d imagine they’d need similar governmental approvals in other territories.
 
dsh3 said:
Also note that the American website says ECG app coming later this year as well as Irregular rhythm notification coming later this year, so it sounds like neither are available at launch in any market.

EDIT: I'm in Denmark btw., and really hope the features are available from launch here as well. I really need those, especially the ECG.
Click to expand...

Didn’t he mention that “other countries later this year”?

It might get in a bit health approval mess but I think this is beyond amazing. Putting essential health stuff into these wrist worn computers is amazing
 
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Normally the requirement for regulatory approval is for ‘medical devices.’ Companies can get round this by stating that features are for personal information only and not for diagnosing conditions. As an example, look at pulse oximeters:a medical grade unit will cost many hundreds (if not thousands), but a personal unit can be had for £20 on Amazon.

Hopefully the series 4 will get EU approval soon.
 
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They need to be FDA approved to provide worthwhile information for healthcare professionals. Look at the slide of the exported PDF for your doctor, it quotes exactly what the specs of the ecg readout are so the doc knows that it is correct to those tolerances. Without the certification the results can be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
xDKP said:
Didn’t he mention that “other countries later this year”?

It might get in a bit health approval mess but I think this is beyond amazing. Putting essential health stuff into these wrist worn computers is amazing
Click to expand...
I think he said coming to US customers later this year and we are working to add other countries in the future
 
whitedragon101 said:
I think he said coming to US customers later this year and we are working to add other countries in the future
Click to expand...

That's what I got from it as well.

Judging from the apple.com website as well as the Danish, the US will get the ECG etc. later this year, and no mention at all about in any other region. It leads me to believe it could take quite a while and not just weeks or months, before it may be available in other regions than the US.

If it is a matter of approval because they call it an actual ECG, maybe they could get away with calling it something different until the EU approval is in place to actually call it an ECG?
 
dsh3 said:
If it is a matter of approval because they call it an actual ECG, maybe they could get away with calling it something different until the EU approval is in place to actually call it an ECG?
Click to expand...

What use would it be if its called something else but not approved ? Its a serious feature not a toy
 
Mercenary said:
Allowing you to read your heart rate using an electronic tracker is permissible anywhere. Like the totally wrong handles on the gym machines.
Click to expand...
Yes, but the gym machine isn't claiming it's capturing an ECG. And the S4 Watch isn't just capturing your pulse either, it seems to actually draw (sample) a curve of your heart's electrical activity - which, after all, is what an ECG is. :) So it doesn't surprise me at least that more is involved here than compared to a gym machine, as an ECG is normally a medical procedure carried out by professionals.

You don't want companies selling you just anything claiming to take an ECG, and you might not really know what you're getting, or even if the product is capable of keeping the promises it makes - because you know, most people aren't cardiologists - so this seems pretty wise overall, to me at least.
 
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The real question is: Does everyone get the same hardware and it can be enabled later on or are they shipping it to other countries without the capabilities.
 
Nozuka said:
The real question is: Does everyone get the same hardware and it can be enabled later on or are they shipping it to other countries without the capabilities.
Click to expand...

By the time they enable it in Europe you can just buy the Series 5.
These regulatory bodies are not fast as far as I know.
 
silvetti said:
Lately Apple's track record of "later" has been very poor.
I would not buy any product from Apple because of a feature that they announce for "later" release.

Hell, they even deleted all information about AirPower from their website....
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I could be wrong but I'm guessing the majority of users on here don't need to complete an ECG so is it really that bigger a deal ? ….. the impression I got is that you would only kick off the functionality of an ECG if asked to do so by a Doctor or other professional its not something we will all be doing on a daily basis and sending them in for a check up !
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Nozuka said:
The real question is: Does everyone get the same hardware and it can be enabled later on or are they shipping it to other countries without the capabilities.
Click to expand...

yes the hardware is the same
 
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ukms said:
I could be wrong but I'm guessing the majority of users on here don't need to complete an ECG so is it really that bigger a deal ? ….. the impression I got is that you would only kick off the functionality of an ECG if asked to do so by a Doctor or other professional its not something we will all be doing on a daily basis and sending them in for a check up !
Click to expand...

Most people would want to try it at least after seeing it reported elsewhere, then get disappointed when it doesn't show up.
 
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I’ll have to keep an eye on Apple News to see when it will be available in Canada. Oh, I forgot, we’re still waiting for Apple News....
 
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