Riscretions suggest the arrival of a major novelty on Apple Watch Series 8, after the disappointment of this year for Series 7
The blood glucose sensor on Apple Watch was expected this year, but the generation announced in September has not only disappointed the expectations of those who hoped it would be integrated but also those who hoped for relevant novelties, such as the aesthetic change that was expected on the eve.
Nothing to be done, Apple Watch Series 7 is improved over the past but less than expected. History should not repeat itself for next year's model, which according to the latest rumors should be able to count on a very important sensor such as the blood glucose sensor. It would be a significant "frontline" tool for those who have to deal with an insidious disease like diabetes: knowing the levels of sugar in the blood, albeit in a relatively approximate way, would allow them to monitor in a convenient and non-invasive way their health status in the round, moment by moment.
Apple Watch 8's shortwave sensor
Sources in Asia suggest that Apple's suppliers are working on a shortwave sensor that could be used on the next-generation Apple Watch to detect blood sugar levels. In fact, this kind of sensor is usually intended for healthcare devices to take the same measurements, so if the rumor is correct, next year's Apple Watch Series 8 will have the ability to detect the presence of excessive blood sugar levels.
"Ennostar and Taiwan Asia Semiconductor (TAS, formerly Opto Tech) are developing short-wavelength infrared (IR) LED devices (over 1.000 nm) to be used for bio-sensing, including heart rate, SpO2, blood glucose, and expect such devices to be used in smart wearables in 2022," writes the Digitimes.
Apple Watch has become a health "Swiss Army knife"
In essence, it would be a new sensor that, in a single component, would be able to fulfill all the measurements that have made the Apple Watch a device capable of all-around health tracking for years. Its strong propensity to support the user in the care of himself through the main parameters that indicate the level of well-being, would be further enriched by the presence of the detection of blood glucose on next year's generation.
On Apple Watch Series 6 debuted another key component as the system to perform an electrocardiogram directly to the wrist, while in the past have debuted systems to track the level of oxygenation of the blood together with the continuous detection of heart rate. SpO2 in particular, while the Apple Watch is not a medical device, made the Apple smartwatch particularly useful during the peak of the pandemic, when blood oxygen levels played a key role in early Covid-19 diagnoses.