For the entire new well being options Apple talked up at Monday’s iPhone 16 occasion, a well-recognized one was M.I.A. The blood oxygen characteristic, launched with the Collection 6 machine, is not going to be current on Collection 10 fashions offered within the U.S. The remainder of the world will be capable of entry the tech on the brand new watch.
The lack of a serious characteristic like blood oxygen should sting, as the corporate has made well being options foundational to its wearable. The characteristic’s exclusion is a product of Apple’s ongoing patent battle with medical machine firm Masimo. The dispute compelled Apple to disable the characteristic on the Apple Watch Collection 9 and Extremely 2 late final yr.
Apple has not mentioned whether or not the characteristic’s removing was a {hardware} change on the Collection 10 or if it was merely disabled by way of the software program, like with the Collection 9. We’ll know extra after the smartwatch goes on sale and the teardown consultants do their factor. If it’s a {hardware} repair, then Apple would have needed to design barely completely different fashions for every market.
Apple has been combating Masimo’s swimsuit from the start. After the vital ban was reinstated in January following a quick pause, Apple labored to enact an identical ban on Masimo’s Freedom well being watch.
Monday’s occasion did discover Apple saying new Collection 10 well being options that might be accessible globally, together with sleep apnea detection.