Apple recently realized it could make its watch even smarter by adding sensors to the band and the dial. A recent report reveals that the Cupertino company was granted 38 patents on November 5, 2024, by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “smart health and communications band for Apple Watch and a future headset.”
The patent looks at a stretchable fabric item with an opening to fit around a certain body part. The band could include sensor circuitry for measuring various health data, such as “electrocardiogram measurements, blood pressure measurements, or respiration rate measurements.”
The more interesting thing here is that the band doesn’t necessarily point toward being a wristband. It could be any wearable that sports elastic fabric, such as a “head band, a hat, an undergarment, a shirt, pants, shorts, yoga clothing or other athletic attire, an arm band, an elastic belt, a sock, a glove,” and so on. However, the patent is more focused on specifically the wristband and the headband. So, while it’s possible that we might see Apple releasing entirely new wearables embedding health sensors, the greater probability is that either the Apple Watch will get smarter or the Apple Vision Pro will receive additional health-tracking capabilities.
The patent also includes additional uses for the smart band (via TechRadar). It claims that the circuitry along the fabric could be given the ability to recharge wirelessly and to “communicate wirelessly with external electronic equipment.” The latter points towards its ability to connect to other Apple devices (MacBook, iPhone, AirPods). We have seen how big Apple is regarding ecosystem integration, and it only makes sense that “external electronic equipment” would be its own offerings.
This isn’t Apple’s first time filing patents for smart fabric. Around a month ago, it put in a request for a touch-sensitive smart textile, and before that, once in 2022 and 2019. If Apple’s plans come to fruition, time will tell how successful they are. Looking at how massively the Apple Vision Pro failed, it’s apparent why Apple is trying to revive it. I wonder how the new health features will affect its price, considering it’s already exorbitantly priced.
As for the Apple Watch, considering that it’s already one of the company’s successful offerings, I wonder if stuffing additional sensors would come off as an overkill. The recent stuffing of AI in every other product released this year has shown us that too much of something isn’t always appreciated.
English (US) ·