The rumor: Apple is working to add a body-temperature sensor to Apple Watch Series 8, but not how you’d expect, according to Mark Gurman (86.4% accurate, via Bloomberg).
- While major health advancements like noninvasive glucose monitoring and a blood pressure sensor are still years away, Gurman says that the Apple Watch Series 8 could get a body-temperature sensor later this year
- But here’s the thing…the body-temperature sensor won’t actually tell you the temperature of your body (and, initially, it’ll only be for women to help them with fertility planning)
- Rather than provide precise measurements, the feature will be like Apple’s other health pursuits: a moderately helpful general guide meant for wellness, not a medical-grade health device
Sam’s take: I have to be honest…this one of the most disappointing rumors I’ve ever heard. I think helping women with fertility tracking is awesome! But if Apple will be using temperature data to do this…why not just share that with the user? I had incredibly high hopes for the Apple Watch as a serious health device, but it looks like Apple just wants it to be a tool, not the tool for your health.
Gurman says that, down the road, a future Apple Watch might be able to tell you if your temperature is higher than normal (ex. a fever)! But also that this Apple Watch “is unlikely to show an actual measurement.”
Listen, I get that there’s tremendous liability involved in giving users health data. But Apple’s current and future health sensor just don’t sound like they’ll be all that useful. Why stop at half-way there and call it day when you could take some extra time to really get things right and create something truly transformative?
