Will you buy an Apple Watch?

[navychop]

I read a BBC article on health benefits of smart watches. Got me interested in the Apple Watch again. But couldn’t remember what in the article tweaked my interest. Went back- article was changed so much it was essentially a new article. Could not find in that article what interested me before. Not the Parkinson’s feature, nor the fall detection. Has the BP feature been improved? Removed? Not seeing it in feature lists.

I have no interest in the sports features, just health. Have no intention of making calls, texts or emails on the watch- my iPhone is always with me. Can’t see a clear winner between the 10 and Ultra2.

EKG of limited use, despite a YT doctor saying how much he liked checking his patients’ Apple Watch provided EKG readings remotely. In a different presentation, saw some EKG wires & tabs attached to someone’s chest, but couldn’t see if they went to the Watch or the iPhone.

Am I missing something?

 

[navychop]

Lawsuit? Cannot offer the BP feature in the USA anymore?

 

[klang]

No BP yet. They are supposed to be working on that and blood sugar. No idea of a time frame.

 

[Foxbat]

Lawsuit? Cannot offer the BP feature in the USA anymore?

It’s the Blood Oxygen that they can’t import and offer on new products. I still have it on my Apple Watch Series 8.

 

[navychop]

Patent infringement claim?

Doesn’t affect BP feature?

 

[Foxbat]

Patent infringement claim?

Doesn’t affect BP feature?

Apple Watches don’t measure Blood Pressure, nor can they track Blood Glucose (at least without an App and special patches).

 

[harshness]

Has the BP feature been improved? Removed? Not seeing it in feature lists.

AFAIK, there remains only one FDA-approved watch for BP monitoring that doesn't require an additional cuff: The Omron HeartGuide.

As evidenced by the recent release of the hearing aid feature of the AirPods Pro 2, Apple has found religion with respect to getting FDA approval beforehand.

Using a system to optically (or via sonar) measure blood vessel dilation can only take you so far and seems rather temperature-dependent.

 

[klang]

It’s the Blood Oxygen that they can’t import and offer on new products. I still have it on my Apple Watch Series 8.

Forgot about that when I got the Series 10 last month. I still worked on the Series 9. A bit surprised Apple hasn't done something about it.

 

[rvvaquero]

I have no interest in the sports features, just health. Have no intention of making calls, texts or emails on the watch- my iPhone is always with me.

I also don't have any use for the Fitness features. If I just got off of the Stairmaster, I don't need a watch to tell me that I just got off the Stairmaster. I do see how others might appreciate such feedback. When I used to run daily, I was always curious just how far and how fast my trip was. I would have made good use of a fitness watch then. In fact, during Covid I did lot's of walking and my Garmin watch not only told me how long, how quick, and how far I walked but it also recorded my track to view later on a GPS map. Also, some people are inspired to exercise more when they can quantify in a visual way how they are progressing.

I have two Apple Watches. The health data has limited value to me. I do watch my pulse rate during workouts, and sometimes consult it if I'm feeling weird. I don't trust the O2 readings and doubt I would trust a blood pressure output on a watch, unless it used an exterior cuff of some sort.

I don't make calls, texts, or emails on my watch either. However, I do use it to see who's calling and read texts as they come in. This allows me to leave my phone in one room while I visit the entire property. If I receive a call which needs immediate attention, I can go then to my phone and converse. The watch is great for getting notifications of all kinds.

If I kept my phone with me like you do, the AW would be just an expensive time piece which I would not have bought.

 

[navychop]

I believe the Apple Watch can, or “usta could” take BP with an exterior cuff. Wired? Magnetic? BT?

Not a likely purchase now (again) unless some new features come out. Or the doc says something about Parkinson’s or fall hazard. But doesn’t the iPhone do the latter?

 

[klang]

There are some wireless cuffs that will talk via BT to an app on the iPhone. I had one long ago. Haven't seen one that talks directly to the watch but it is possible. Not sure what the value would be since it ultimately needs to talk to the app on the iPhone. I switched to a BP meter with the cuff attached as that is supposed to be much more accurate.

 

[Foxbat]

I make use of the Fitness features on my Apple Watch. We subscribe to Apple One, which includes the various Apple services and iCloud storage depending on the level. We mostly make use of the News+ and Apple TV+ services, so it wasn’t too far of a stretch to justify the Apple One Premier level based on the storage amount and the desired services included.

That includes Fitness+ which has a wide range of workouts in different target areas. I make use of the Treadmill workouts to walk in front of my TV with the AppleTV connected. I can select to Walk or Run (I’m not a runner, but walking is my secret power) and the three instructors on screen will help guide your pace as one walks, the main instructor runs, and the third runs harder.

Also, they have a series called “Time to Walk” which has a series of celebrities who discus their lives and careers as they go on a 20-40 minute walk. You need Bluetooth headphones for this unless you’re using your iPhone and its speakers. These end with a collection of three or four songs that the celebrity find inspiring or just like to listen to. While you are walking, the Apple Watch keeps track of distance (based on the stride calculation from the Fitness App on your phone), heart rate, calories burned, elapsed time, time per mile, and your Move, Exercise, and Stand rings.

I first thought that these Time to Walk segments would be uninteresting, but I quickly realized that there are some fascinating backstories to some people that you would never expect. The one with Danny Trejo was remarkable as his life could have turned out so much different if he had made the wrong choice at a young age. Al Roker’s was great as well.

So, all of these Fitness+ features are what I use my Apple Watch for. I could go on, but I have five paragraphs so far. I could use AI to create a synopsis, but I haven’t activated that yet…

 

[navychop]

There are some wireless cuffs that will talk via BT to an app on the iPhone.

TKS! Found a few to look over. I have a separate cuff with its own device attached. But it’s a bit of work. Then I read some rules for taking your BP and gave up:
- Don’t take a reading within 2 hours of getting up or going to bed.
- Don’t take a reading within 30 of eating.
- Don’t take a reading right after exercise or just before seeing a health care provider.
- Don’t take a reading if the sun is shining, or if it isn’t…

SIGH.

Might get back in the habit if I only had to call up an app and wrap it. No tubes, no recording the data myself.