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Apple Cuts Healthcare Features From Apple Watch

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Apple Watch health and fitness

As the Apple Watch gears up for release, Apple is revealed to have cut the healthcare features from the device, although they were considered a selling point.

Back in September, 2014 Apple announced three products: the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch. Whilst their two flagship iPhones got off to a flying start (they quickly became the fastest selling iPhones of all time), people were rather sceptical about Apple’s wearable device. Pegged for a launch in ‘early 2015′ many feared that the Apple Watch is simply a gimmick and that there wasn’t enough time to fix it.

The scepticism stemmed from the fact the device’s two selling points were its ‘digital dial’ which allowed people to zoom in and out of the screen without touching the screen itself (and therefore obscuring the view) and apps such as an arm-wrestling game. Given that prices of the Apple Watch start at $350, they were perhaps right to believe that few people would want to buy it just for those features.

It has now been revealed, however, that that’s not the only reason why many were left felling disappointed. According to the Wall Street Journal, health sensors that originally featured in early versions of the Apple Watch were cut not long before the reveal, which is perhaps why the device looked so unappealing back in September.

In their report, the publication explains that some of these potential features were as complex as a sensor that could track stress or even blood pressure. In theory, those things are massively useful as they would help people make sure that they are living healthy lives and it would let them know when they need to see a doctor or simply just relax. The problem with the sensors is that some offered varied results that differed based on things such as the hairiness of the wearer’s arm or how tight the band on the Apple Watch was. Furthermore, some of those features would also result in government regulation which Apple wanted to avoid.

But even with the removal of these features, it doesn’t mean that the Apple Watch is destined for sales failure. The device has been gutted of a key selling point, true, but Apple still believes that it will sell incredibly well and the company has prepared around 6 million units in preparation. The Apple Watch is likely to launch in March or April so we’ll be able to see just how accurate Apple’s prediction was shortly after.

Source: 9to5Mac

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Apple Watch battery will last between 2 and 5 hours

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Apple Watch Battery 1

New reports around the web suggest that, if used “actively”, the Apple Watch’s (or iWatch) battery would only last between 2 and 5 hours.

A new report from the Mac-centric website 9 to 5 mac claims Apple’s new smartwatch would have a rather short battery life, which would last only a couple of hours if used “actively”. This is because of the A5 processor it uses summed to the Retina screen, both responsible for the watch’s smooth performance. If it was used in mixed mode instead (combining both passive and active), the battery life could go up to 19 horas or even go up to three days in stand by.

9 to 5 Mac claims the Cupertino guys conducted several stress tests and weren’t really happy with the results. By giving it intense use (say, playing games), the battery would be drained in mere two hours and a half, while running apps instead would make it last for three and half hours. Even with only the screen being on all the time, battery life seems to be exceedingly short.

These results are particularly worrying for Apple if we were to compare these with those of the competition. The Moto 360, for example, can work for some 24 hours in mixed mode while the Samsung Gear S can go on for an entire day. The Peblle Smartwatch, although an entirely different beast, can be used for a week without recharging, even.

Apple have not sent any communications about these issues yet, but they trust the iWatch will be used passively and this won’t impact user experience. The Cupertino team are aiming for some 19 hours in mixed mode, but they already know battery life will be rather short, and least in this first generation. Would we be safer if we waited for the obvious iWatch 2 instead?

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5 Need to Know Announcements from Apple’s Big Reveal

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Tim Cook Apple logo

Yesterday, Apple showed off lots of new, shiny, electronic wares but with so many announcements you may have missed some! Here are all the need to know facts.

Ah, Apple, like the predictability of that burning globe of fire and gas that we call the Sun, we can depend upon the well-known tech company to have a whole host of new reveals for us each and every year. We already had one back in June when they took to the stage of WWDC to show off iOS 8 to the developers preparing to make apps and such for us but Tuesday’s press conference is where they wheeled the big guns out. No operating systems and coding info here, oh no, just some impressive stats, some impressive features and a (slightly mixed) bag of new gadgets to play with. There’s been lots of talk about what Apple did or didn’t say and with the conference running for almost two hours straight, you probably didn’t watch it live now did you? Not to worry as we have a list of all the things that you need to know right here.

1. iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus

First of all, there were the iPhones. They are what so many people gathered in that massive auditorium to see Apple talk about and by Jove did Apple deliver. Somewhat unexpectedly, Apple revealed two new iPhones – the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone 6 Plus is the flagship as it will be an inch and a half bigger than the iPhone 5S, will be 50% more energy efficient and it will even be 25% more powerful than its predecessor. In addition to those impressive stats the phone also comes with an 8 megapixel camera that lets more light into photos, has a ‘Best Photo’ mode and optical image stabilisation too which means that your photos will look as lovely as ever.

The iPhone 6, meanwhile, is the cheaper, smaller version. 4.7 inches in size, the phone does almost everything the iPhone 6 Plus does except it doesn’t have the optical image stabilisation feature. It’s still a worthy handset though and the price difference will certainly make it a worthy contender.

Both phones go on sale on September 19th.

2. Apple Pay

One of the extra bonus features that Apple surprised us with is Apple Pay. Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities and what this means is that you can now pay for things wirelessly. Walked into a shop without your wallet? Well that’s alright as if you’ve connected your card and any other relevant payment details to Apple Pay, you can now purchase goods in real life with the press of a button.

Apple are saying that their phones will ultimately replace physical money altogether, which is a pretty bold claim even for them. However, many of their Android competitors have already allowed for this so they could be onto something.

3. Apple Watch

Shockingly, the Apple smartwatch that we all knew was coming isn’t called the iWatch! Arguably, Apple Watch is a poorer name in comparison but poorer still is what the smartwatch offers.

Apple talked up the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch that lets us navigate, zoom in, zoom out and use Siri but this appears to be the device’s only killer feature. There are games coming to the platform too but is a gimmicky arm wrestling app really worth the money? Furthermore, the Apple Watch is said to suffer from some serious battery issues that people will have to iron out before the 2015 launch, so this is something to think about when forking over the $350 asking price.

4. iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C; Even Cheaper Than Before

Despite the Apple Watch’s rather disappointing pricing though, where Apple have gotten it right on the cost front is with last year’s iPhone 5S and 5C.

US retailer Walmart recently made headlines by offering the iPhone 5C for under a dollar and now Apple is going one better as consumers can now get the iPhone 5C for free. The iPhone 5C will set you back by $99, not unlike Walmart’s pricing, but if you really want to to get the phone and don’t think you’ll be able to afford the many hundreds of dollars of the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, this is an absolute bargain. As always, you’ll be subject to a two year contract, so keep that in mind too.

5. iOS 8 Release Date

We’ve heard tales of its buggy beta all year but now that the kinks have been rolled out like the smoothest of pastry, iOS 8 is ready to be downloaded by the masses.

As explained before, iOS 8 will have a health and fitness focus (in line with the Apple Watch) signalled by its Health app. Health will combine all of the data from your sleep tracking, diet tracking and workout tracking apps, sticking it in one handy, readily available space for you to peruse and check up on your body. Gym goers are certainly catered too then while everybody else will make use of iOS 8’s new practical features such as Siri’s new fluency in 22 languages and the fact that the Home screen will now become landscape depending on how you hold the phone.

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Apple hires Nike FuelBand designer Ben Shaffer; Cupertino’s wearable can’t be far behind

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A month after after poaching fitness expert and Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik, Apple has added another former Nike employee to its ranks. Cupertino has reportedly hired Ben Shaffer, who served the sneaker brand as Studio Director of the Innovation Kitchen. In this role, Shaffer helped develop the FuelBand and the Flyknit shoe, and it serves to reason that his position at Apple will involve wearables as well. It's also not a stretch to assume that the company's upcoming wearable will incorporate some of Nike's fitness-tracking tech -- here's hoping we won't be waiting too long to see the fruits of this partnership.

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Source: 9 to 5 Mac