Tag Archives: wsj

iOS 16 may automatically detect car crashes

The rumor: A future software update for iPhones could enable “crash detection,” according to the WSJ (80% accurate).

These are the details…

  • “Crash detection uses data from sensors built into Apple devices including the accelerometer to detect car accidents as they occur, for instance by measuring a sudden spike in gravity, or “g,” forces on impact” the report says
  • This data could then be utilized to automatically dial 911 if an accident is detected
  • Apple could roll this feature out to iPhones as early as 2022, either as an update to iOS 15 or as part of the larger iOS 16 release

Our take: This sounds really helpful, and reminds me of how Apple used the accelerometer on Apple Watch Series 4 and newer to make fall detection work. Automatic crash detection would be really helpful and potentially life-saving.

Future Apple Watch to get thermometer, partial blood pressure monitoring

The rumor: Apple is planning to add some minor new health features to Apple Watch within the next few years, according to Wall Street Journal (80% accurate, source).

  • According to the report, Apple is planning a thermometer sensor for as soon as next year on the Apple Watch Series 8…but it won’t initially be for determining your temperature: rather, it will be to help with fertility planning for women
  • Blood pressure monitoring is also coming later down the road…using an innovative new method where the speed of the wave of your heartbeat will be measured as it travels through your arteries: this will show you a trend of your blood pressure, but not allow you to see a medical readout of systolic and diastolic numbers

Our take: More evidence that no major new health features are coming to Apple Watch this year. And the features coming over the next few years don’t sound very useful either. A temperature sensor only helpful for fertility tracking at launch, and a blood pressure reader that doesn’t provide your actual blood pressure on-demand? These sound mediocre at best, and absolutely less impactful and meaningful than they could be.

iOS 15 may include ‘big’ updates to Safari, Health, Maps and iMessage

The rumor: Apple is planning big updates to a number of key apps on iOS, according to Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal (77.4% accurate).

Our take: Apple has been hinting extensively at upgrades to the Messages app, but we hadn’t previously heard about improvements coming to Safari or Maps. We’ll find out how big iOS 15 really is in just three days.

Apple October 2020 event leaderboard update

This is our biggest leaderboard update yet. While other products see rumors intermittently throughout the year, Apple’s biggest product, the iPhone, is relentlessly leaked week-by-week until the eventual Fall unveil. Following the October 13 event, here’s how iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and HomePod mini rearranged the source leaderboard.

Sources that increased

🏀 Mark Gurman: 87.8 ⮕ 88.3% accurate

  • +30 correct rumors
  • -2 incorrect claims

🧻 Jon Prosser: 74.5 ⮕ 85.2% accurate

  • +69 correct rumors
  • -6 incorrect claims

👨‍💻 Ming-Chi Kuo: 74.6 ⮕ 77.5% accurate

  • +19 correct rumors
  • -1 incorrect claims

🗞 WSJ: 76.7 ⮕ 77.4% accurate

  • +1 correct rumor

❓ MacRumors: 69 ⮕ 70% accurate

  • +1 correct rumor

🧭 Macotakara: 66.7 ⮕ 69.6% accurate

  • +16 correct rumors
  • -5 incorrect claims

🍍 Max Weinbach: 63 ⮕ 67.1% accurate

  • +23 correct rumors
  • -8 incorrect claims

🔢 DigiTimes: 61.3 ⮕ 65% accurate

  • +14 correct rumors
  • -4 incorrect claims

🦅 Barclays: 57.9 ⮕ 64.5% accurate

  • +9 correct rumors
  • -3 incorrect claims

✅ The Verifier: 51.3 ⮕ 51.9% accurate

  • +1 correct rumor

💵 Economic Daily News: 36.1 ⮕ 36.8% accurate

  • +1 correct rumor
  • -1 incorrect claim

Source(s) that stayed the same

🧧 Kang 康总: 97.8 ⮕ 97.8% accurate

  • +84 correct rumors
  • -2 incorrect claims

Sources that decreased

🌙 L0vetodream: 88.9 ⮕ 87.9% accurate

  • +32 correct rumors
  • – 5 incorrect claims

Note: As you may have noticed, no source is 100% accurate. That’s because all sources get some info right and some info wrong: do not harass anyone for their track record. The leaderboard functionality on AppleTrack is here only to help Apple enthusiasts better understand how likely a rumor really is.

As always, if you notice a discrepancy on someone’s record, let us know.