Rumor: Next-gen Apple Watch may support glucose monitoring, 'smart' bands
Future Apple Watch models will reportedly include support for glucose monitoring, as well as "smart watch bands" that should expand features without requiring people to buy an entirely new device.
The glucose technology will likely be non-invasive, BGR suggested on Monday, citing an anonymous source. Glucose levels are typically monitored by collecting blood, but that would be impractical on a wrist-worn device, and previous reports have indicated that Apple is working on non-invasive methods.
Glucose monitoring could potentially be built into a smart band, BGR speculated, allowing Apple to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval without exposing new Watch designs. Other hypothetical bands might add options like extra battery life or even a camera.
The source added that Apple has "identified the right part of the body," and that "there's so much more they can and intend to do with the Watch." The company has allegedly hired some 200 PhDs in the past year, hoping to improve the Watch's health functions.
Apple has been keen to market the Apple Watch Series 2 as a fitness device, since it's now fully waterproof and supports GPS for distance-based activities like running. Its health tracking can only operate off of motion and heart rate, however.
The company is expected to launch a "Series 3" Watch later this year. Few other features have been rumored, though others might include sleep tracking or even LTE support that was once rumored for the Series 2.
The glucose technology will likely be non-invasive, BGR suggested on Monday, citing an anonymous source. Glucose levels are typically monitored by collecting blood, but that would be impractical on a wrist-worn device, and previous reports have indicated that Apple is working on non-invasive methods.
Glucose monitoring could potentially be built into a smart band, BGR speculated, allowing Apple to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval without exposing new Watch designs. Other hypothetical bands might add options like extra battery life or even a camera.
The source added that Apple has "identified the right part of the body," and that "there's so much more they can and intend to do with the Watch." The company has allegedly hired some 200 PhDs in the past year, hoping to improve the Watch's health functions.
Apple has been keen to market the Apple Watch Series 2 as a fitness device, since it's now fully waterproof and supports GPS for distance-based activities like running. Its health tracking can only operate off of motion and heart rate, however.
The company is expected to launch a "Series 3" Watch later this year. Few other features have been rumored, though others might include sleep tracking or even LTE support that was once rumored for the Series 2.
Comments
However, it would be a game changer if they were successful. It could easily be a $100 billion business for Apple if they made non-invasive monitoring.
If this is indeed true, I myself will finally have the excuse to buy an Apple Watch. I'm really psyched about what Apple is doing in this area.
You don't hear anything remotely similar with that Android watch trash.
Is there any way to force news agencies, like BGR, to divulge their informants? I know the answer but it makes no sense to continue giving anonymous informants all this free exposure. Of course something like this would be fantastic but where is the transparency in reporting? Who gave BGR this information?
Anyone else having this issue!?
The smartband thing was rumored when the AW debuted, as there is a maintenance port. Hard to envision how a band would interface with that.
There are times when it would be handy to shoot a rudimentary snapshot right from a watch. Not really sure how popular that would be though; or even how it could be implemented. There is a 3rd party ads with a camera though. It looks kinda...rough.
Hope this rumor is true though. It'd be yooge.
In order for the watch to have any diagnostic or health related function, it will probably need FDA approval (or similar in overseas markets), but if they sell it just as a guide, and claim it has no diagnostic value, then they may not need approval, provided it's not invasive in any way.
I don't think Apple are interested in having it just as a guide. I think they want to claim it as a diagnostic tool, and have the data accessed in HealthKit for proper medical purposes, and so I expect they will put it through FDA approval. There's also the risk that, if they market it just as a guide the FDA will decide it is a diagnostic tool, or that it might easily be mistaken for one, and insist on approval anyway. So, from Apple's point of view, probably best to get approval straight off.
Some other companies, however, would probably chance their arm to bypass FDA approval. And might even get away with it.
Many people -- including me -- purchased the lowest-priced Series 0 as an experiment, since we didn't know (a) if we'd like it, and (b) if the Wearables category would survive. The answer is 'yes' to both questions, so those early adopters may upgrade to a more expensive model during their refresh cycle.