- By Vikas Yadav
- Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:44 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Cupertino-based tech giant Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 9 in September 2023, next to the iPhone 15 series. The Series 9 and Ultra 2 debuted with the new double tap gesture among the significant tweaks to the software. And it seems the company is now gearing up for another update for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 and likely the Watch Ultra 3 that could be significant for the health and wellness of the wearer.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company could bring the much-awaited blood-pressure monitoring feature to the next-gen smartwatches. However, in a piece of bad news for the latest Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 users, the journalist noted the functionality may not arrive for "current models". As per Gurman, the feature may debut "this fall" which could imply the launch of the smartwatches and the iPhone 16 series.
Gurman's probability of adding that the feature may not debut on previous models (due to the lack of required hardware) hints BP tracking could be a hardware-based feature on the Apple offerings. Hence, previous generations may not be able to take advantage of the feature via an OTA update, unlike Samsung. For context, Samsung recently introduced the feature for its Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 5 and Watch 6 series.
Among the notable features of the Apple Watch Series 9 is the double tap gesture. (Image:Apple)
Meanwhile, Apple will likely announce a host of AI features for iOS 18 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. The company could also bring meaningful upgrades to the watchOS via integrations with the iPhone. In a previous update in November, Gurman added the tech giant is also considering a paid health service and new health-tracking features aided by AI.
Further, the upcoming Watch Series 10 and Ultra models may have sleep apnea detection based on the wearer's sleeping and breathing behaviour. Gurman also claimed the smartwatches may debut with an updated design this year.
