2024 Apple Watch to Feature New Look, Blood Pressure Monitoring and Sleep Apnea Detection

[MacRumors]

Apple made few updates to the Apple Watch lineup in 2023, but the 2024 Apple Watch models are expected to include a new feature set that will make them much more appealing to consumers, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today in his Power On newsletter.

At least one Apple Watch model will feature an updated look, and while Gurman does not specify, it could be the standard Apple Watch that's getting a design update. Apple just introduced the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022, and while there are rumors of a larger microLED display for that device, current information suggests Apple won't be ready to add microLED until 2025 or 2026.

In prior reports, Gurman has said that Apple is working on a significant update for the tenth anniversary of the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch was announced in September 2014, but it did not launch until April 2015, so it is a little unclear whether the "tenth anniversary" falls in 2024 or 2025. We are due for the "Apple Watch Series 10" in 2024, and with Gurman pointing to a design update next year, that could be the "anniversary" model.

The updated Apple Watch could include a thinner design as well as a new magnetic mechanism for connecting bands, but the health features may be more appealing to customers. Gurman says that we can expect the next-generation version of the Apple Watch to detect hypertension and sleep apnea, conditions that affect millions of people.

Hypertension will be detected through blood pressure monitoring done on the wrist, which is a notable feat of engineering. Gurman said in November that the Apple Watch will be able to tell the wearer if their blood pressure is trending upward so they can report the findings to a medical professional, but it will not provide specific systolic and diastolic measurements. A future version of the technology may be able to provide exact readings.

Sleep apnea will be detected through sleep measurements and breathing patterns, letting users know if the condition is present. Detecting sleep apnea often requires a sleep study in an overnight sleep center, so the Apple Watch could relieve some of the friction in getting a diagnosis. More mild cases of sleep apnea may go unnoticed, which means at-home warnings about the condition could allow people who don't know they are afflicted to get help and improve their sleep.

Apple refreshes the Apple Watch on an annual basis, so we can expect the new model to come out right around September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 lineup.

Article Link: 2024 Apple Watch to Feature New Look, Blood Pressure Monitoring and Sleep Apnea Detection

 

[macvicta]

This could be the Apple Watch I’ve been waiting for.

 

[etoiles]

Please don’t change the band mechanism, I just invested in a link bracelet 🫣😄

 

[Adoniram]

I know progress can seem slow, but it’s starting to look like the Apple Watch may one day become the medical recorder.

Heart rate, ECG, sleep cycle, blood oxygen, blood pressure, glucose levels, blood alcohol… pretty impressive if it all pans out.

 

[borntrouble]

Alongside breathing patterns and sleep measurements they will most certainly also use their already implemented SpO2 sensor in detecting sleep apnea. Measuring blood pressure seems like a big technological challenge in such a watch if you take a look at conventional blood pressure systems that naturally use some kind of stasis/tourniquet to get the measurements. Anyhow, Apple is making giant steps forward in the health industry. Additionally, with non-invasive blood-glucose/alcohol monitoring most likely coming in future Apple watches, they are building a rock-solid foundation in that sector for years to come.

 

[vegetassj4]

I know what my BP alert will be: Too Damn High

I hope we get to the day where it can give actual numbers.

 

[citysnaps]

I know progress can seem slow, but it’s starting to look like the Apple Watch may one day become the medical recorder.

Heart rate, ECG, sleep cycle, blood oxygen, blood pressure, glucose levels, blood alcohol… pretty impressive if it all pans out.

Spot on assessment!

Yet the reflexive crowd-pleasing, "Apple doesn't innovate anymore. Wah!" continues. Pretty sad.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not convinced. We have heard this news before.

 

[Populus]

If this report is accurate and ends up being true, I will not only buy one for me, but also for my parents as well.

Mind you: I’ve never owned an Apple Watch, only smart bands that display the time, the heart beats, quantify your steps and receive the iPhone notifications. All with a battery life of two weeks, thats why I wasn’t convinced with a bigger device like the Apple Watch that you had to recharge each night.

However, this improved functionalities would make it worth not only for me, but for my family members that could be suffering from sleep apnea (I suspect so), and have blood pressure problems.

Sprinkle all this new functionalities with a new design, and they got me in.

 

[Infodataset]

Perfect for my use, I think my blood pressure always high because why new macs have 8gb model

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Apple has consistently redesigned the Watch every three years, it would be bizarre if they _didn't_ do something even a little different in 2024, regardless of the anniversary.

Very surprised to hear about this many new health features, though. Sounds like an instant buy.

 

[jz0309]

Redesign for the standard watch seems logical.

Changing band attachment mechanism would be stupid, will piss many off. Ultra would have been the candidate for this.

Blood pressure trend - nice but won’t help those who have been diagnosed with hypertension already, really need the hard data.

 

[MacBird]

I am not convinced. We have heard this news before.

I agree, pretty much every year there are speculations about a new design. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[5786735]

I hope, if they do update the standard Apple Watch, they don't make it look like the Apple Watch Ultra. That thing is ugly. 🤮

 

[Nilhum]

Seriously doubt it’s going to be able to detect blood pressure accurately. What possible way can it detect it? The cuff ones are fairly accurate but require blood flow to stop and then measure the points where blood flow begins.

Digital ones that go on your wrist do exist and are very inaccurate.

 

[erikkfi]

Oh good, a blood pressure monitor just in time for the 2024 elections.

 

[System603]

Spot on assessment!

Yet the reflexive crowd-pleasing, "Apple doesn't innovate anymore. Wah!" continues. Pretty sad.

Depends. It's been done by other companies. I always like when Apple brings something new to the table and not just "Apple table".

So let's hope they came up with something truly innovative. I love when Apple is the leader, not when they just play catch-up. But obviously, it's bound to happen here and there and more often than not in the tech field. There's only so much you can focus on.

 

[Saturnine]

I’m usually not too interested by the new health features in the Apple Watch (cycle tracking, the Breathe app, blood oxygen) because I have no use for them myself. Certainly not interested enough to make them part of a purchase decision.

I do suspect that I occasionally suffer from sleep apnea but getting a proper diagnosis from medical professionals has proven difficult because I’m not in one of the usual “at risk” categories. Having an Apple Watch that can reliably detect sleep apnea could certainly encourage my doctor to refer me to a specialist, so it’s an intriguing device for me.

 

[BornAgainApple]

I know progress can seem slow, but it’s starting to look like the Apple Watch may one day become the medical recorder.

Heart rate, ECG, sleep cycle, blood oxygen, blood pressure, glucose levels, blood alcohol… pretty impressive if it all pans out.

Or a tricorder!

 

[Sevendaymelee]

I was set to trade in until I saw that there will be no actual readings. I'll wait for that version.

 

[Motawa]

all I want is something like body battery and smarter monthly badges and be able to add custom rings like calorie intake (for weight gaining) etc.

 

[Minato1990]

I will be there
But I will be upgrading my Ultra to Ultra 3 next yr fo sho

 

[CarAnalogy]

I know what my BP alert will be: Too Damn High


I hope we get to the day where it can give actual numbers.

It has the same problem as the temperature sensor, maybe even worse. The wrist is just not a good place to measure these things. I don’t know how the watch could even detect blood pressure without being strapped on really tight.

I already see people walking around with their watches on so loosely I can see the heart rate sensor light just shining futilely on the surface of their skin.

 

[Böhme417]

I’m all for a refreshed design and some new features, but I really hope they make it where old bands are still compatible. It would be really annoying for all my bands to suddenly become useless if I get one.

 

[trifero]

Diabetics control would be a really huge improve.