Apple Watch will mark Apple’s entry into the wearable technology market for the first time. The company unveiled the new product during iPhone 6 media event in September last year. The watch is expected to not just be a companion device to the iPhone, but also offer unique health & fitness features made possible with special sensors in the watch.
When rumours about Apple’s upcoming watch started hitting the web, it was revealed that the company had hired many notable people involved in improving or miniaturising medical sensors for wearable products. Apple Watch had long been rumoured to feature advanced sensors to measure blood pressure, activity level, heart beat and more.
During the product demo Apple showcased the capabilities of its watch and highlighted its use in health and fitness. The company talked about the devices’ ability to track activity, heart rate, remind you to stand up and even share your heart beat with your loved ones. Now, a new report published by WSJ reveals that Apple had initially planned more health related features however, due to technical reasons the plans were dropped.
Apple began developing the watch about four years ago, with a focus on health and fitness. It’s not unusual for Apple to experiment with many technologies or shift focus during product development, but the watch was especially challenging, people familiar with the matter said. Internally, the project became known as a “black hole” sucking in resources, one of these people said.
The report suggests that Apple Watch was to feature sensors to measure conductivity of skin to detect stress levels and track blood pressure. However, the plans were dropped due to inconsistency in results and it varied depending on how hairy the persons’ arms were, how dry the skin was or how tight the watch was worn.
Apple Watch has been in development since over four years and its possible that company saw 2015 as the perfect opportunity to launch the product with limited set of health features and then follow-up with more elaborate set of features in the second-gen model.
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