4 ms·

A 20% screen size increase is pretty significant. There are a huge range of sensors they can add in future.

by zepto 5y ago

BitAstronaut 5y ago
> There are a huge range of sensors they can add in future. It would be worth an update at that point.
- zepto 5y ago
  Agreed, I’m not upgrading.
kumarvvr 5y ago
In the given form factor, what sensors could be added, without dropping existing ones? I guess, one way would be to introduce special categories of watches, such as medical ones, that drop gps and others for oxygen / ECG or new sensors.
- kemayo 5y ago
  It already has GPS and oxygen / ECG sensors, so no dropping would be needed there. That said, blood glucose seems like the next big win. Rumors have been that they're working on it.
  - kumarvvr 5y ago
    Doesn't glucose level sensing require contact with blood?
    - micromacrofoot 5y ago
      yes, this is why their rumored sensor is still years off... it doesn't exist currently
    - SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
      https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2516-1091/abe6f8/meta https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2516-1091/abe6f8/... There are bloodless sensors now and in development.
    - thecosas 5y ago
      Not necessarily. See section on non-invasive methods: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731259/
    - tashoecraft 5y ago
      Believe they acquired a company that did it via light, hence the belief that it is coming.
    - kemayo 5y ago
      It's apparently doable optically, similarly to blood oxygen, albeit much more challenging. There's an actual product out for it from one of Apple's suppliers, even: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/07/14/apple-supplier-launches-non-invasive-glucose-monitor-health-sensor-tech https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/07/14/apple-supplier-la...
  - thecosas 5y ago
    I think the biggest hurdle as they get into more "medical" areas is approvals from the FDA (in the US) and international regulatory agencies. What you recommend based on measurements or people acting on that information can have asterisks on asterisks, but still needs to hit a minimum threshold for usefulness.
- dominotw 5y ago
  This would really be great. Is there any other watch that has more health monitoring than apple watch?
dont__panic 5y ago
I know I'm in a very different demographic from the average Apple user because I just don't understand the appeal of a big, bright OLED screen on my wrist. I still wear my Pebble Time Round every day. If it ever dies I'll get a Garmin with an always-on non-backlit display that looks great in the sun and lasts for days. IMO I'd rather see this tech used to shrink the size of the watch to make it thinner, rather than expanding the size even larger. It's a supplementary device, the idea that you might use a keyboard on it is laughable. I wonder if we'll see the same size creep in the watch space that we've already seen with phones...
- zepto 5y ago
  The Apple Watch is smaller than many high functionality watches, including most garmins. However I agree with you about the battery life issue. I have an Apple Watch I use as a beater for specific sports. The rest of the time I use an automatic. Not having to worry about whether it is charged is a major win.
- toxik 5y ago
  I agree on size, biggest issue with AW is its size. On the other hand it’s so damn useful to always have access to your digital life. Calendars, weather, reminders, timers, notifications. Those are the things I use the most. I have never had a problem with sunshine.
- panopticon 5y ago
  I have a love/hate relationship with my Garmin. I would certainly appreciate the better integrations with my iPhone that the Apple Watch provides, but the battery life is a non-starter. My Fenix feels very disjointed from my phone, but it can get me through a 3-day backpacking trip with the GPS on. The Fenix is also chunky compared to the Apple Watch.
  - mft_ 5y ago
    I use a Garmin head unit for cycling and its interactions with my phone and also other services (e.g. Strava) are simply appalling for 2021. Garmin’s own services are also pretty bad to use. I struggle to understand how a group of smart people could put out that product with such gaping flaws and think, ‘yes, we did a good job there’.
frumper 5y ago
They didn't increase the case size, just reduced the bezel. That means there is probably less space to use for more sensors.
thecosas 5y ago
"In the future" is a long time. Short-term, more likely that they would build integrations with existing stand-alone sensors. For example, glucose readings from Dexcom G7.

A 20% screen size increase is pretty significant. There are a huge range of sensors they can add in future.

by zepto 5y ago

A 20% screen size increase is pretty significant. There are a huge range of sensors they can add in future.

BitAstronaut 5y ago

> There are a huge range of sensors they can add in future. It would be worth an update at that point.

zepto 5y ago
Agreed, I’m not upgrading.

kumarvvr 5y ago

In the given form factor, what sensors could be added, without dropping existing ones? I guess, one way would be to introduce special categories of watches, such as medical ones, that drop gps and others for oxygen / ECG or new sensors.

kemayo 5y ago
It already has GPS and oxygen / ECG sensors, so no dropping would be needed there. That said, blood glucose seems like the next big win. Rumors have been that they're working on it.
- kumarvvr 5y ago
  Doesn't glucose level sensing require contact with blood?
  - micromacrofoot 5y ago
    yes, this is why their rumored sensor is still years off... it doesn't exist currently
  - SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
    https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2516-1091/abe6f8/meta https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2516-1091/abe6f8/... There are bloodless sensors now and in development.
  - thecosas 5y ago
    Not necessarily. See section on non-invasive methods: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731259/
  - tashoecraft 5y ago
    Believe they acquired a company that did it via light, hence the belief that it is coming.
  - kemayo 5y ago
    It's apparently doable optically, similarly to blood oxygen, albeit much more challenging. There's an actual product out for it from one of Apple's suppliers, even: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/07/14/apple-supplier-launches-non-invasive-glucose-monitor-health-sensor-tech https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/07/14/apple-supplier-la...
- thecosas 5y ago
  I think the biggest hurdle as they get into more "medical" areas is approvals from the FDA (in the US) and international regulatory agencies. What you recommend based on measurements or people acting on that information can have asterisks on asterisks, but still needs to hit a minimum threshold for usefulness.
dominotw 5y ago
This would really be great. Is there any other watch that has more health monitoring than apple watch?

dont__panic 5y ago

I know I'm in a very different demographic from the average Apple user because I just don't understand the appeal of a big, bright OLED screen on my wrist. I still wear my Pebble Time Round every day. If it ever dies I'll get a Garmin with an always-on non-backlit display that looks great in the sun and lasts for days. IMO I'd rather see this tech used to shrink the size of the watch to make it thinner, rather than expanding the size even larger. It's a supplementary device, the idea that you might use a keyboard on it is laughable. I wonder if we'll see the same size creep in the watch space that we've already seen with phones...

zepto 5y ago
The Apple Watch is smaller than many high functionality watches, including most garmins. However I agree with you about the battery life issue. I have an Apple Watch I use as a beater for specific sports. The rest of the time I use an automatic. Not having to worry about whether it is charged is a major win.
toxik 5y ago
I agree on size, biggest issue with AW is its size. On the other hand it’s so damn useful to always have access to your digital life. Calendars, weather, reminders, timers, notifications. Those are the things I use the most. I have never had a problem with sunshine.
panopticon 5y ago
I have a love/hate relationship with my Garmin. I would certainly appreciate the better integrations with my iPhone that the Apple Watch provides, but the battery life is a non-starter. My Fenix feels very disjointed from my phone, but it can get me through a 3-day backpacking trip with the GPS on. The Fenix is also chunky compared to the Apple Watch.
- mft_ 5y ago
  I use a Garmin head unit for cycling and its interactions with my phone and also other services (e.g. Strava) are simply appalling for 2021. Garmin’s own services are also pretty bad to use. I struggle to understand how a group of smart people could put out that product with such gaping flaws and think, ‘yes, we did a good job there’.

frumper 5y ago

They didn't increase the case size, just reduced the bezel. That means there is probably less space to use for more sensors.

thecosas 5y ago

"In the future" is a long time. Short-term, more likely that they would build integrations with existing stand-alone sensors. For example, glucose readings from Dexcom G7.