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Because of memory constraints, I bet they don't store the actual data stream coming off the sensors. Rather the software on the watch pre-processes the data. Perhaps the Apple Watch has a streaming mode that is accessible to apps on a connected phone. I know some Samsung watches have this.
That doesn’t make sense though: the article says they exported data for the same time period months apart and it was different. That means either the raw data is stored, or the preprocessing they do is non-destructive so they can undo it to re-process it when the algorithm changes.
 
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That doesn’t make sense though: the article says they exported data for the same time period months apart and it was different. That means either the raw data is stored, or the preprocessing they do is non-destructive so they can undo it to re-process it when the algorithm changes.
My thought was to be able to stream the raw data off of the device to phone storage for post-processing. That is what Samsung does with data that does things like ECCs
 
More arrogance from Apple. They seem to think they know everything better than everyone else. Of course, since this hit the media, maybe Apple will will consider making the raw data available as it should have been in the first place.

Of course, this also fits with Apple's attitude that it is not true unless Apple says it's true.

this isn’t arrogance. There was no promise Apple would communicate the algorhythms. Their product their OS their choice.

that said and believed it would be nice to see Apple give hospitals and research’s teams a heads up, even the algorhythms under NDA. Maybe list with logon on their site for reference. This would help uptake of the Watch for further research.

or maybe that’s what HealthKit is for or part of the close relationship Apple has with certain hospitals for research??
 
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This is so incredibly disappointing, and yet also so undeniably Apple.

It's both funny and sad that one of the few aspects of Steve Jobs Apple that Tim Cook has chosen not to change, the company's intense secrecy, continues to be its downfall in so many current and potential markets.

Apple is fortunate to be the only real player in the wearables market at the moment. Despite the complaints, I would imagine most researchers will continue to work with Apple for the time being as they're the only game in town. That said, just as in the pro and corporate markets, Apple will eventually struggle to retain research clients in the long run if it continues to cling to its asinine refusal to provide even a basic level of transparency.

If Apple wants to expand outside of the consumer market in a serious way it needs to understand that secrecy is not the asset it is there but a serious liability that many folks just aren't going to be willing or able to deal with.
$21.7B profit in 90 days doesn’t seem like much downfall in any market. Apple is executing a strategy and has done so to the tune of most profitable and largest company in the world.

Apple is the only real player in wearables because they make the best wearables.

There are likely complex and compelling reasons behind this, which Apple chooses not to share.
 
I think it is good to remember that this is an opinion piece, not based on a scientific report, and it was based on an informal export at two points in time. This was not linked to any particular study and was not performed under controlled conditions. The original article also states that no data was changed...

The cynical side in me suggests some doctor has got an interest in dedicated research devices and wrote a clever opinion piece. I'm surprised he/she didn't put it on Medium ;)
 
I don’t even think they read the same news as I. 😳

It sucks that researchers having a hard time with Apple Watch but it’s not wrong for Apple to change their algorithm periodically if they think it’s a better one.
Yes but they need to explain that and ideally provide a way to export historical data using the new algorithms.
 
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Yes but they need to explain that and ideally provide a way to export historical data using the new algorithms.
On the second item, that sure seems to be what the article is describing they're already doing. From the original bit:
...data from the same time period can change without warning. [...] Research fellows at Brigham and Women's Hospital exported the heart rate data from Apple Watches for the same period of time, but several months apart. The data should have been identical, but since it is filtered through an algorithm prior to export it was drastically different.
If they exported the same data from the same period of time at two different points in time, and got something different, then the old data must also be going through the new algorithm. That would strongly imply Apple is storing the raw data and processing it upon export, which isn't good but also isn't nearly as bad as changing the way the data is processed halfway through the dataset.

This method would make sense for Apple's own internal use as well--if they store raw data, then later come up with an algorithm for doing the same customer-facing analysis better or some new analysis, you can just run the entire dataset through that and give customers some new or better presentation.
 
On the second item, that sure seems to be what the article is describing they're already doing. From the original bit:

If they exported the same data from the same period of time at two different points in time, and got something different, then the old data must also be going through the new algorithm. That would strongly imply Apple is storing the raw data and processing it upon export, which isn't good but also isn't nearly as bad as changing the way the data is processed halfway through the dataset.

This method would make sense for Apple's own internal use as well--if they store raw data, then later come up with an algorithm for doing the same customer-facing analysis better or some new analysis, you can just run the entire dataset through that and give customers some new or better presentation.
I agree with you. I think they should at least document the changes to the researchers so they know what to expect, and let them make their own decision as to how to handle it.
 
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