While the Apple Watch saw only minor updates in 2023, we can expect to see a much larger set of improvements to the 2024 Apple Watch lineup. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in his most recent Power On newsletter.
Gurman says that at least one Apple Watch model will sport a new look, while the entire lineup will receive a pair of health features that will be helpful to Watch users. The new health features – hypertension and sleep apnea detection – will alert users if the Apple Watch detects one of those conditions and will suggest follow-up testing.
Gurman believes that the 2024 Apple Watch lineups features will be much more compelling to users looking to upgrade their Watch than the 2023 lineup, whose major new feature was the double-tap gesture.
But the upcoming health features should have real marketing power. Imagine when Apple is able to make an ad touting how it invented the ability to take a blood pressure reading from the wrist. I think that’s going to sell a lot of devices.
Gurman does not go into detail about the updated look that could come to at least one Apple Watch model. However, it is likely that the new design will come to the standard Apple Watch lineup, as the Apple Watch Ultra debuted in 2022. While there are rumors about a larger microLED display for that device, current information suggests Apple won’t be ready to take that step until 2025 or 2026.
Gurman said in August that Apple has plans for a total revamp of its Apple Watch for the popular wearable device’s tenth birthday. Gurman calls the upcoming device “Apple Watch X,” which is the same naming convention Apple used for the tenth anniversary iPhone X model.
As the original Apple Watch was introduced in 2014 but didn’t hit shelves until 2015, Gurman was unsure whether the Apple Watch X will be released in 2024 or 2025.
Gurman also said Apple is working on a thinner casing for the Apple Watch X, as well as working on different mechanisms for attaching bands to the device’s casing, which has remained the same since the device’s introduction, allowing bands to be compatible throughout all of the different generations of the Apple Watch.
Gurman said his sources tell him that the existing band system takes up a large amount of space that could be better put to use to allow for bigger batteries or other internal components. Apple is said to be mulling over a magnetic band attachment system, but it is currently unclear whether it will be ready for the Apple Watch X model.
As for this weekend’s comments, Gurman says that we can expect the next-generation version of the Apple Watch to detect hypertension and sleep apnea, conditions that affect millions of people.
The Apple Watch will detect hypertension by monitoring the wearer’s blood pressure from the wrist. The Apple Watch will be able to tell the wearer if their blood pressure is trending upward so they can report the findings to a medical professional. However, the Watch will not provide specific systolic and diastolic measurements. A future version of the technology may be able to provide more exact readings.
As for sleep apnea, the conditions will be detected through sleep measurements and breathing patterns, letting users know if the condition is present. The feature could help detect even mild cases of sleep apnea, which often go undetected.
It will be a while until we find out if Gurman’s predictions will come to life, and we can expect the new Apple Watch models to debut sometime in September 2024, alongside the iPhone 16 lineup.
