Apple Watch Series 7 records an EKG. Will Series 8 introduce new health tracking?
The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to appear in September. But, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gorman in his latest book Power On NewsletterThe Apple Watch model may not have a body temperature sensor, but rather two new ones.
Gurman says this feature has been popular for some time, but its inclusion hasn’t been confirmed. It depends, Gorman says, on whether “the ability to go beyond the crowd during internal testing.”
Now, though, he thinks it’s possible: “I now think the feature is ready.”
This will be on the Apple Watch Series 8, but not on the second-generation lower-priced Apple Watch SE, which is also believed to be in development.
The second watch that’s likely to be able to do this is “a rugged new edition aimed at extreme sports athletes.”
This means that your Apple Watch will be able to tell you if you have a fever. Well, after the last couple of years, any kind of early warning information about a potential disease would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?
But it is not a thermometer. “The body temperature feature won’t give you a specific reading – like a forehead or wrist thermometer – but it should be able to tell if you think you have a fever. He can then recommend talking to your doctor or using a dedicated thermometer.”
The current Apple Watch can have heart rate variability (HRV) – the small differences between one heartbeat and another – and it is believed that Covid brings with it a falling heart rate. Therefore, it is already possible that the Apple Watch can detect Covid early and accurately, although this is not something Apple claimed to be wearable.
So, something like a fever warning could be interesting, and watch Apple take the Watch even further in health monitoring.
