WASHINGTON: Apple has decided to step in a new high technological and more advanced smart watch which would be able to monitor the health of the user.
Sources told The Wall Street Journal that some of the features were too complicated, while others would have prompted unwanted regulatory oversight.
It said development of its health sensor technology has failed to meet standards, with inconsistency from sensor readings, arising from hairy arms or dry skin.
“Apple also experimented with ways to detect blood pressure or the amount of oxygen in the blood, but the results were inconsistent,” said the paper.
“Moreover, if Apple interpreted the numbers to provide health or behaviour advice, the company likely would have needed approval from the US Food and Drug Administration or other regulators,” it said.
Apple consequently opted for more vanilla pulse-rate monitoring tech.
According to the paper’s sources, the company is asking suppliers in Asia to make five to six million Apple Watches in the first quarter. The product will finally be released in April.
In a typically understated claim last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook implied that the new Apple Watch could help prevent cancer.
In his keynote address at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, he said: “Some doctors now think that sitting down for long periods is the new cancer, so ten minutes before the hour the Watch software taps you to make you have a walk around.”
