razorpit

Beats said:

In my opinion, they really dropped the ball by not offering bright colors and not hitting the lowest price point.

I think the SE will be popular among adults and the Series 3 will be popular for kids.

Apple Watch SE $279 - For adults on a budget.
Apple Watch Series 3 $199 - For your kids.

It makes no sense to buy kids the mid tier. Apple could have announced 5C-style colors or AT LEAST announced some kids series of bands like licensed cartoons (Spongebob, Disney etc.) and bright colored bands. They really fu**ed this one up.

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

fastasleep said:

dewme said:

My Apple Watch 5 is less than a year old and I'm tempted to upgrade to get the blood oxygen sensor.

Question: The article above mentions "sleep apnea" but the demonstrations of the oxygen sensor shown in the video today make the oxygen sensing feature look like an interactive process. This alone wouldn't really do much for sleep apnea sufferers because the greatest threat occurs when they are asleep. To be truly effective for sleep apnea detection the oxygen measurement should take place periodically and whenever the device detects the user has suddenly stopped breathing, is snoring, or is gasping for air. I didn't see anything in the video that talked about how this new sensor would potentially be employed for sleep apnea detection and monitoring.

Like everything else health related on the Apple Watch, it is not a substitute for the advanced diagnostics that are performed in a clinical setting under the care of a doctor or medical professionals. But it is a tool that can be used to alert you to a potential issue that requires further attention by a medical professional. I'm wondering how this model applies to the detection and treatment of sleep apnea used in conjunction with the Apple Watch 6.

Watch it again. They said it would take background readings throughout the day. 

I’m upgrading from my 3 partially because I’m curious about sleep apnea. I just haven’t been able to figure if I want the new silicone loop or just the original sport band. 

Thanks. That is good news. I keyed in on the on-demand part with the countdown timer on the video and missed the background sampling part.  

I now see on the Apple.com website: "The remarkable new sensor and app in Apple Watch Series 6 allow you to take on-demand readings of your blood oxygen as well as background readings, day and night." That is a big deal.

Background readings are vital. Triggering background readings when an "event" occurs would be very important as well, but we won't really know what the watch can until we see this feature in action in the real world. I'm sure Apple tested it, but I'm also sure that Apple does not want to overstate its capabilities or set expectations too high. Some other health monitor band/watch companies have made claims about sleep apnea detection using other sensors, like pulse rate, but these claims don't seem to result in product features, which I suppose due to liability concerns. Apple is very very careful about making any health related claims.

Regarding at-home CPAP machines - the ones I've used do have a SIM card and, at times, a modem and telemetry, but the only thing they are recording is usage and pressure. It's mainly there to verify that you are using the machine. They don't have any other sensors. The reason ongoing oxygen monitoring is needed is because the pressure on the machine may have to be adjusted periodically, i.e., it may no longer be helping you. Getting everything set correctly requires an overnight sleep study, and these can cost thousands of dollars to administer. If the AW6 can tell you you may need a study it will serve a very important purpose.

I agree with the value and benefit of event triggered monitoring -- such as regular or even continuous monitoring during aerobic activity -- especially during periods of elevated heart rate.    During a tempo run my heart rate can run well over 90% of its Max and knowing how my SpO2 levels did would be great information.

...  But, as you say, we don't know enough right now.  We'll have to wait for some hands-on testing to know if and how this works.

As for CPAP machines and sleep:  I am hoping that eventually Apple can replace the need for most sleep studies which, unless you're having a known and significant problem seem pretty sketchy to me -- mostly self proclaimed experts who little about their specialty but who make lots of money selling their snake oil.   Before I trusted one of them I would want to loaded up with facts on what exactly was going on with my body.   As for them monitoring the CPAP machine, please remember that the healthcare industry cares nothing about your health and only about its profits.

GeorgeBMac said:

FileMakerFeller said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The danger to the world's tech industry comes not only from NVIDIA but from Trump and the U.S.    From the BBC:

"But two of ARM's co-founders have raised other issues about the takeover.

Hermann Hauser and Tudor Brown had suggested ARM should remain "neutral", rather than be owned by a company like Nvidia, which produces its own processors.

The concern is that there would be a conflict of interest since ARM's clients would become dependent on a business with which many also compete for sales.

Moreover, the two co-founders also claimed that once ARM was owned by an American firm, Washington could try to block Chinese companies from using its knowhow as part of a wider trade clash between the countries.

"If ARM becomes a US subsidiary of a US company, it falls under the Cfius [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] regulations," Mr Hauser told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"[That] means that if hundreds of UK companies that incorporate ARM's [technology] in their products, want to sell it, and export it to anywhere in the world including China - which is a major market - the decision on whether they will be allowed to export it will be made in the White House and not in Downing Street."

Quite obviously the U.S. has become an unreliable partner -- violating agreements at will and trying to dictate who can do business with who.

In this case, the potential ramifications for U.S. bullying have escalated considerably.   So, the BBC further reports:

"But experts say one risk Nvidia faces is that the takeover could encourage ARM's wider client list to shift focus to a rival type of chip technology, which lags behind in terms of adoption but has the benefit of not being controlled by one company.

"ARM is facing growing competition from RISC-V, an open-source architecture," wrote CCS Insight's Geoff Blaber in a recent research note.

"If its partners believed that ARM's integrity and independence was compromised, it would accelerate the growth of RISC-V and in the process devalue ARM."

Mr Blaber also suggested regulators might block the deal.

"This process will take months if not years with a high chance of failure," he told the BBC."

And, that last is an important note:   Why would Britain hand over control of one of its premier organizations to Donald Trump?  Or, why would China approve it?   Trump has essentially declared war on them and this would just add more bullets to his arsenal.

You can bet that both companies and countries will be actively looking for and promoting alternatives to ARM if this shows any signs of actually going through because this sale poses an existential threat to them.

So, none of this was a concern while ARM was owned by SoftBank?

No, it wasn't.   Softbank is not an American company.   This move enables Trump to take his stupid games to whole new level deciding who ARM can do business with.   The UK should be very leery of putting their premier tech company under the heel of Donald Trump.

22july2013 said:

razorpit said:

It was going to get handed down to my son and I was going to get a 6. Looks like I'll be using the 3 for another year.

Is that because the Watch Series 6 doesn't have what you want or because your son has been bad?

jdb8167 said:

razorpit said:

Nice idea, shame you can't use an Apple Watch 3 for that service. Wonder what in the world Apple Watch 4 has that supports it but the 3 doesn't?

Family setup requires cellular. Not sure what else. The current Series 3 doesn't come with cellular; just GPS.