Tick tock. Time is quickly ticking on Apple’s latest technology that may soon change the way we look at watches. With the rumored release date sometime later this year, speculation of Apple’s new iWatch has ramped up in recent weeks, and technology and fitness fanatics are buzzing about the seemingly endless possibilities that Apple’s newest gadget could feature. While most of the talk is speculation, the potential capabilities of the iWatch could reinvent not only the way we tell time, but also the way we monitor our health and fitness.
According to MacWorld, it is believed that over the past two years, Apple has hired a team of 200 people to make the iWatch become reality. Apple CEO, and Nike Director, Tim Cook, is known to have worn the Nike Fuel Band, praising, “Nike did a really great job with this.” However, Cook also noted he saw room for improvement: “The [wearables] that do more than one thing…aren’t great.” And with that simple comment, rumors began flying that the company known for giving consumers complete, integrated experiences had entered the wearable industry.
As speculation continues to increase in the coming weeks and months, here are five ways that Apple’s iWatch may dominate fitness wearables in the near future:
1. Sleep Sensors
When Apple wants to do something, they make sure they do it right, and they make sure they have the best of the best. As of early January, Marcelo Malini Lamego, an expert in biomedical and sensor technology, had begun working for Apple, and was rumored to be providing his expertise to the sensor development of the iWatch. Another recent addition includes Dr. Roy J.E.M. Raymann, a sleep expert from Philips Research, whom could ensure that the iWatch helps users track their sleeping patterns.
The ability to track sleep patterns isn’t new, however, as several other companies have incorporated the same concepts, such as FitBit. Yet, Apple’s desire to hire the senior scientist that founded the Philips Sleep Experience Lab, show they want to go further than any of the current wearables have gone in terms of monitoring and tracking sleep. Little information is known about details of the sleep tracking features of the iWatch, but with experts in the sensor and sleep fields, respectively, Apple is positioning itself to set a new standard for how we think about sleep.
2. Optoelectronics
In mid-February, reports from China revealed that the new iWatch would use “optoelectronics to monitor a wearer’s heart rate and blood oxygen levels.” Apple reportedly hired experts from C8 MediSensors, a now defunct firm that focused on non-invasive blood monitoring systems. 9to5mac reports, “The company’s technology provides a non-invasive way to measure substances in the human body such as glucose levels….For an Apple wearable device with sensors, this functionality would likely be a true game-changer for the many people across the world.”
Optoelectronic is a light-based technology, and according to reports, was chosen over electrocardiography because ECG-based products require several points of contact to get accurate readings. With optoelectronic technology, visible red and infrared LEDs would be used to detect the amount of oxygen being carried in the blood’s hemoglobin. Oxygenated hemoglobin absorbs more infrared light, whereas deoxygenated hemoglobin absorbs more visible red light. In other words, as the body pumps more blood, more light is absorbed, and therefore can be used to track and calculate a user’s heart rate.
3. Fingerprint Technology
In 2012, AuthenTec, a company that specializes in security systems, and specifically fingerprint scanner, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple. Rumors intensified that Apple hired certain members of the AuthenTec team during their acquisition, and leaves one to wonder if fingerprint technology will be incorporated in the iWatch design, as it has for the iPhone5. If so, it will undoubtedly differentiate Apple from any other fitness wearable competitors. Other than security purposes, no details of how fingerprint technology will be featured on the iWatch has been revealed.
4. The Design
Arguably the biggest point of speculation, the design of the iWatch is still widely disputed. However, an innovative design could very well separate itself from the pack of fitness wearables. Digitaltrends speculated that LG was awarded the contract to produce the screen for Apple’s iWatch. The screen reportedly measures 1.52-inches and will be P-OLED displays. In addition, Apple’s partnership with GT Advanced, makers of sapphire crystal panels, “means it’s in a prime position to use the almost indestructible material.”
Check out what six artists have speculated the iWatch will look like.
5. The Software
Apple’s new version of the iPhone, iOS 8, coming out later this year, will feature new health and fitness software, called “Healthbook.” Mark Gurman, writer for 9to5mac, explains, “The software will be capable of monitoring and storing fitness statistics such as steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked…as well as the ability to monitor a user’s vital signs…to track a person’s blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate, and several other blood-related data points, such as glucose levels.” Healthbook could very well be the software that sensors from the iWatch will connect to in order to collect and store data.
The Cost of Time
Morgan Stanley analyst, Katy Huberty, believes the watch will sell for around $299. She explains, “Our working assumption is that iWatch largely will be adopted as an accessory device and, therefore, sold into the existing customer base, like the iPad, rather than to new customers, like the iPod or iPhone.”
Do you think the Apple iWatch has the potential to dominate the fitness wearables industry?