Apple experienced significant challenges while developing the blood pressure monitoring technology for the Apple Watch. Its ongoing legal conflict with Masimo Corp could delay the launch of the sleep apnea detection feature.
The 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch might be a toned-down event this year with the likely delay in two highly anticipated health features.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg shared that it remains a question whether Apple will bring two highly anticipated health features - blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnea detection - to the Apple Watches this year as part of the celebration of the device's 10th anniversary.
Gurman claims that Apple experienced significant roadblocks while working on the blood pressure monitoring technology this year. The technology "hasn't been as reliable as hoped during testing" and there were concerns about it working properly with the Apple Watch Series 10.
As for the sleep apnea detection feature, Gurman says it has even more serious issues. As the sleep apnea detection technology relies on the user's blood oxygen saturation readings, the ongoing legal issue with Masimo Corp suggests that Apple might not release the new feature this year.
Alternatively, Apple might announce the sleep apnea detection feature, but release it later after the legal issue is resolved or the company finds a solution to work around the ban.
Besides the software snags, Gurman says consumers can expect to see bigger displays and a thinner design for the Apple Watch Series 10. The design of the Apple Watch Series 10 is "unlikely to look much different" while there won't be a major design change for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Gurman's claims about bigger displays line up with the recent leaked renders of the Apple Watch Series 10. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last month that the Apple Watch Series 10 will come in two new sizes.
That said, Gurman also pointed out that while the first Apple Watch was announced in 2014, it didn't go on sale until 2015, so there's a chance that this year's watches won't be touted as anniversary models and Apple will make a bigger announcement next year.
The Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are expected to debut alongside the iPhone 16 series later this year in September.
Source: Bloomberg
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