Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Wild Rumor of Apple EarPods with Biometric Sensors Has Roots in Apple's Research

jrswizzle said:
Who's spending $70 on the "in-ear headphones" when you can get the "ear pods" for free (or $20)?

EarPods are actually really great IMO. Looking to plunk down the cash for a set of in-ear Bose noise cancelling ones as I travel a lot, but as generic headphones go, EarPods are the best.

AND they come with the phone....win-win.
Click to expand...

I love the EarPods. And I dont think any ones spending the $70. But I did spend $25 for the EarPods.
 
Verita said:
I understand it has been possible for a while, but do you think Apple will be including lasers in their upcoming EarPods?? This is not a cheap technology, nor is it reasonable for a device as small as a pair of headphones.
Click to expand...

Every optical disc player uses a laser, so it's fair to call it cheap technology.
 
Verita said:
Understand where you're coming from, but lasers are not all the same. Most vehicles use combustion engines, but this doesn't make Bugatti engines cheap.
Click to expand...

I realize that, but this isn't exactly a good analogy. I take it neither of us knows what sort of laser would be required. I sure don't, so I won't make any assumptions either way. My only point is that lasers aren't inherently expensive tech.

----------
bmt134 said:
Stupid gimmick.
Click to expand...

Brilliant observation.
 
pmz said:
I'm gonna drive you crazy with this: As a musician and former DJ as well, I am of the opinion that small drivers are small drivers, and while there are slight differences in quality across the board, a $5 set at Walgreens will sound almost as good as a $300 pair from _insert major brand here_ .
Click to expand...

I do think it is worth the money to get custom molded ear pieces though. After getting those made, I wonder how I ever thought a one size fits all approach would be good.

----------
bmt134 said:
Stupid gimmick.
Click to expand...

That post was redundant, as it is already an insult to call it a gimmick. Next time, try to be more efficient with your posts and only go with "stupid" or "gimmick".

----------
CausticPuppy said:
Or just buy the Samsung "Gear Buds" in 2 months.
Click to expand...

Dave.UK said:
You do realise similar technology is out there as already mentioned in this thread.
Click to expand...

Dave, I don't see what you said has to do with what CausticPuppy said.

----------
flur said:
Wearable tech isn't about telling you you're fat, it's about helping you to be more healthy, regardless of size.
Click to expand...

I admit I don't get it either, but about 150 people where I work got together for a group buy of fitbits. And these are a diverse demographic group. I think there is a groundswell of interest in this category that is not just from elites. Also, there is strong psychological backing to the idea of merely giving people facts changes behavior, such as putting calorie counts on fast food menus. I would have more trouble ignoring the data if it was always there on my phone.
 
moeafg said:
"Yes. No one charges their phone when doing any sort of fitness anyways so it won't make a difference for most."

But many people listen to their music whilst charging their device e.g. when studying in the library - I have done this countless amount of times. If such a thing happens, it'd be a stupid move by Apple. However Apple would not make such a move as they may just be able to do this through the headphone jack by embedding such technologies into the port.
Click to expand...

Adding microphone input caused enough problems. There's only so much they can fit into a port that was invented over a century ago.
 
BMcCoy said:
Nonsense, for several medical reasons.
Not least of which is you can't measure blood pressure in your ear.
Click to expand...

Are you a doctor? From what I've read there has been a lot of scientific research into this and that it might well be possible to measure BP in your ear.
 
jrswizzle said:
Who's spending $70 on the "in-ear headphones" when you can get the "ear pods" for free (or $20)?

EarPods are actually really great IMO. Looking to plunk down the cash for a set of in-ear Bose noise cancelling ones as I travel a lot, but as generic headphones go, EarPods are the best.

AND they come with the phone....win-win.
Click to expand...

I spent the $70, and it was actually $80 for the Apple In-Ears. The EarPods don't fit my ears perfectly, and I find the sound from the in-ears much better than the stock EarPods.
 
IJ Reilly said:
A century ago they invented stereo mini plugs, but it turned out that they were no good as corn holders.
Click to expand...

Telephone switchboards. That's what the "phone connector" was originally invented for. No they weren't stereo, and indeed were much larger, but the underlying technology has not changed in a century. More simultaneous inputs and outputs would require more "rings"... The electrical connectors between the insulators (eg. those plastic bits).. and wires underneath connecting in such a way as to not interfere with each other.
 
IJ Reilly said:
I realize that, but this isn't exactly a good analogy. I take it neither of us knows what sort of laser would be required. I sure don't, so I won't make any assumptions either way. My only point is that lasers aren't inherently expensive tech.

----------



Brilliant observation.
Click to expand...

I'll agree to that. We don't know what Apple has up its sleeve, I do know for the laser sensors, the highly sensitive ones cost a good amount, and only work well under specific conditions. I think there may have been a recent article about blood glucose sensors on this site, and they use optical technology similar to lasers, and are very finicky.

Let's assume Apple does have the technology almost ready. I would liken the rollout to Siri, which I am currently using to dictate on my phone, so please excuse the misspellings. It's going to be in beta for a long time, has peoples ears are as varied and complex as their voices.
 
APlotdevice said:
Telephone switchboards. That's what the "phone connector" was originally invented for. No they weren't stereo, and indeed were much larger, but the underlying technology has not changed in a century. More simultaneous inputs and outputs would require more "rings"... The electrical connectors between the insulators (eg. those plastic bits).. and wires underneath connecting in such a way as to not interfere with each other.
Click to expand...

I know, I was just having a little fun with the concept.

----------
Verita said:
I'll agree to that. We don't know what Apple has up its sleeve, I do know for the laser sensors, the highly sensitive ones cost a good amount, and only work well under specific conditions. I think there may have been a recent article about blood glucose sensors on this site, and they use optical technology similar to lasers, and are very finicky.

Let's assume Apple does have the technology almost ready. I would liken the rollout to Siri, which I am currently using to dictate on my phone, so please excuse the misspellings. It's going to be in beta for a long time, has peoples ears are as varied and complex as their voices.
Click to expand...

My sense based on everything I've heard so far is that Apple has longterm plans for this product space. Some of the tech is not fully baked right now, but they are working on it. Any wearable product(s) we see over the coming year will be the first entry, with more to come. This is my interpretation.
 
What makes this rumor in particular "wild"?

The curved display rumors for the iPhone 6 isn't wild?

The iWatch ultimately replacing the iPod isn't wild?

MacRumors just labels as they please, I suppose.
 
IJ Reilly said:
Perhaps, but I think this misstates what the goal of these products might be. I realize it's a technological heavy lift, but assuming it was possible, a continuous monitor of blood glucose levels would actually be useful for a diabetic and might just keep them out of the ICU. It would also be a hell of a lot more convenient and less costly than the monitoring devices they use today. Also, people who report heart arrhythmias to their physicians are often fitted with bulky and expensive medical equipment to wear for a day or more. If some of the same functions could be taken over by a consumer device that provides the data instantly to both the patient and the doctor, I can see where that might be useful medically.

None of this seems even remotely desperate to me. In fact, it sounds rather promising.
Click to expand...

I understand that a blood glucometer or a halter monitor via a cellphone may sound cool, but the examples you provide represents niche products. Only a small fraction of the population would benefit from these abilities.

The problem arises when Apple takes these products to the masses. Any physician on here will tell you that these products are going to lead to a mess. If you take biometrics or blood tests or any test on the human body, there's going to be a not insignificant number of false positives. You apply this to over 100 million people and it's going to be a healthcare logistical nightmare. In order to do screening of a disease, it needs to be a fairly prevalent disease. If not, then doctors will spend their whole day working up mainly false positives.

And for a company that can't even produce a flawless fingerprint scanner, a technology that's been around for years, how are they going to fair with other biometrics? Measuring bodily functions and interpreting the results can be a very tricky business and I don't see a company whose major product is a cellphone doing anywhere near an adequate job.
 
If it's in every product, that's bad for healthy people and good for non-healthy people. A little annoying, but I think it'll be worth it.

----------
bboucher790 said:
Headphones that tell you you're fat.

Revolutionary. Magically Delicious.
Click to expand...

Plenty of non-fat people have issues with blood pressure. I'd be a little ticked off if it was just for fat people. Comparable to when I want some iced tea, and the store only has diet sweetened iced tea.
 
Rogifan said:
So Samsung has scheduled a "health" event in San Francisco just a few days before WWDC. Their obsession with being first/beating Apple (and Google) to the punch is pathetic, laughable. And the timing is dumb because once WWDC keynote happens no one will be talking about Samsung.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/01/samsung-plans-an-event-around-health-for-may-28th/#comments
Click to expand...

Samsung are idiotic tryhards. Oh, and nobody talks about Samsung anyway.

Curious to see how Apple will upgrade the EarPods.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back