The Apple Watch offers a lot of functionality in its tiny case, and with watchOS 2 that functionality will expand quite a bit. But what about the bands?
According to a new report from Czech site Letem Svetem Applem and citing unnamed sources, Apple is currently working on making the bands on the Apple Watch even more powerful, too. The report indicates that Apple is moving forward with “Smart Bands,” which would connect to the now hidden data port on the side of the Watch, and offer new functionality, like even more health tracking functions. Specifically, the bands could track respiratory rate, offer body temperature sensors, track blood pressure, and keep tabs on blood oxygen.
According to the sources, Apple is gearing up to launch the new bands as early as the beginning of 2016, and Apple is aiming for these smart bands to actually spur on legacy Watch use. The report indicates that Apple is keenly aware that Watch owners might not want to upgrade their watch every year, so these smart bands could effectively lengthen the life of the Watch.
The data port, as mentioned above, is hidden on all Watches, though, so the obvious question is how could current Watch owners access it, to make full use of the smart band? The report also says that owners will have to go into an Apple Store to get the new smart band installed, which is an interesting method to promoting new features on an older device.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about “smart straps,” or smart bands. Indeed, when the data port on the Watch was first discovered, a report quickly surfaced that suggested Apple could use that port to take full advantage of more advanced straps, with health being the prime area of growth. In the meantime, Apple has already launched the “Made for Apple Watch” program, which allows third-party manufacturers to create straps for the Apple Watch, none of which can directly access that data port, though.
[via AppleInsider; Letem Svetem Applem]
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