As the Apple Watch gears up for release, Apple is revealed to have cut the healthcare features from the device, although they were considered a selling point.
Back in September, 2014 Apple announced three products: the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch. Whilst their two flagship iPhones got off to a flying start (they quickly became the fastest selling iPhones of all time), people were rather sceptical about Apple’s wearable device. Pegged for a launch in ‘early 2015’ many feared that the Apple Watch is simply a gimmick and that there wasn’t enough time to fix it.
The scepticism stemmed from the fact the device’s two selling points were its ‘digital dial’ which allowed people to zoom in and out of the screen without touching the screen itself (and therefore obscuring the view) and apps such as an arm-wrestling game. Given that prices of the Apple Watch start at $350, they were perhaps right to believe that few people would want to buy it just for those features.
It has now been revealed, however, that that’s not the only reason why many were left felling disappointed. According to the Wall Street Journal, health sensors that originally featured in early versions of the Apple Watch were cut not long before the reveal, which is perhaps why the device looked so unappealing back in September.
In their report, the publication explains that some of these potential features were as complex as a sensor that could track stress or even blood pressure. In theory, those things are massively useful as they would help people make sure that they are living healthy lives and it would let them know when they need to see a doctor or simply just relax. The problem with the sensors is that some offered varied results that differed based on things such as the hairiness of the wearer’s arm or how tight the band on the Apple Watch was. Furthermore, some of those features would also result in government regulation which Apple wanted to avoid.
But even with the removal of these features, it doesn’t mean that the Apple Watch is destined for sales failure. The device has been gutted of a key selling point, true, but Apple still believes that it will sell incredibly well and the company has prepared around 6 million units in preparation. The Apple Watch is likely to launch in March or April so we’ll be able to see just how accurate Apple’s prediction was shortly after.
Source: 9to5Mac
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