Apple is preparing new Apple Watch models and health features, featuring display and speed upgrades, and, for future models, an extreme sports edition, body temperature and blood glucose sensors, and more.
Mark Gurman and Debby Wu for Bloomberg:
The Cupertino, California-based tech giant is planning to refresh the line this year — with a model likely dubbed the Apple Watch Series 7 — by adding a faster processor, improved wireless connectivity and an updated screen, according to people with knowledge of the plans. Next year the company plans to update the main Apple Watch alongside a successor for the lower-end Apple Watch SE and a new version targeting extreme sports athletes.
Apple had previously aimed to put a body temperature sensor in this year’s model, but that is now more likely to be included in the 2022 update. The blood-sugar sensor, which would help diabetics monitor their glucose levels, is unlikely to be ready for commercial launch for several more years.
For this year’s model, Apple has tested thinner display borders and a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover. The new Watch is likely to be slightly thicker overall, but not in a way that’s noticeable to the user.
The extreme sports model, described by some inside Apple as either an “explorer” or “adventure” edition, was in development for release as early as this year, but it is now more likely to launch in 2022… Blood sugar monitoring has been long in the works at Apple and would be a feature thus far unrivaled by competitors… Users typically need to prick their finger to draw blood for an accurate glucose test, but Apple is aiming for a non-invasive solution that can analyze blood through the skin.
MacDailyNews Take: If* non-invasive blood glucose monitoring is achieved, Apple Watch would become the essential device for hundreds of millions of people with diabetes.
According to the International Diabetes Federation:
*It’s a big “IF.” Non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring would indeed be the “holy grail for treating diabetes.