Apple Watch X To Track Blood Pressure – Report

Apple is planning to release a significant upgrade to its Apple Watch, after years of minor updates and upgrades to its wearable device.

When Apple unveils its iPhone 15 portfolio at its annual September launch event, slated to be 12 September, it will also launch its Apple Watch Series 9.

However unlike the upcoming iPhone 15, the Series 9 Apple Watch is expected to only deliver minor incremental upgrades such as faster processors or new colour combinations.

Apple Watch

But at least one media report has highlighted 2024 or 2025 as the year when we will see a significant update to Apple’s wearable device.

According to Bloomberg’s noted Apple leaker, Mark Gruman, Apple is planning a splashy upgrade for its 2024 smartwatch, as it is reportedly working on a revamped “Watch X” update for the device’s 10th anniversary.

The first generation Apple Watch had been first unveiled back in September 2014, but only went on sale in April 2015.

It was said to be one of the last Apple product lines designed from the ground up by Apple’s legendary designer Sir Jony Ive.

According to Bloomberg, changes to the main Apple Watch have been fairly minor on a yearly basis for a while now. Last year for example, the Series 8 model’s main addition was the body-temperature sensor to help women track their reproductive cycles.

The year before that, the big change had been a larger display.

And the year before that signalled the last time Apple boosted the performance of the device, when it launched the Series 6 with a faster chip and blood-oxygen reader.

The only major change to Apple’s wearable portfolio in recent time has been the release in 2022 of the Apple Watch Ultra, which featured a completely new design and claimed to be the most rugged Apple Watch ever.

This Apple Watch Ultra was aimed at adventurers, sports and fitness enthusiasts, and came with a hefty price tag to boot – prices started at $799.

Watch X

Now according to Bloomberg, in 2024 (or 2025) Apple is preparing to release a “Watch X” model to mark the device’s 10-year anniversary, and it promises to be the biggest overhaul yet.

According to Gruman, the X model that Apple designers are developing boasts a thinner watch case and Apple has even explored changing the way bands are attached to the device.

Starting with the original Apple Watch, bands have slid into the sides of the Watch chassis and attached with a locking mechanism, said the report. Keeping that design the same let the bands stay compatible with old and new models, but it has downsides.

People involved in the development of new Apple Watch told Bloomberg the system takes up a considerable amount of space that could be better filled with a bigger battery or other components.

To that end, the company has explored a new magnetic band attachment system, though it’s unclear if it will be ready or used in the Watch X revamp, according to Gruman.

Even bigger changes are coming as well with the Watch X, in the form of a microLED display that exceeds the colour and clarity of the current OLED screens, as well as a technology for monitoring blood pressure.