In the further development of its smartwatch, Apple is relying on the main driving forces of health and safety: according to a report, support for satellite messaging is planned as a central innovation for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Which is expected to arrive in autumn 2025. In places remote and closed from cell phone networks, people wearing the watch can continue to communicate via satellite via iMessage and SMS and make text-based emergency calls – even without an iPhone. Apple has supported text messaging via satellite on smartphones since iOS 18, but so far only in North America.
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Blood pressure monitoring and 5G
Meanwhile, Apple is busy bringing blood pressure monitoring to the watch. As reported by financial news agency Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge.Such functionality was originally expected in 2024, but it is missing from the new Apple Watch Series 10. watchOS is unlikely to provide concrete values for diastolic and systolic blood pressure; instead, the user should be made aware of trends and potential signs of hypertension.
Whether Apple will bring blood pressure control only to the 2025 watches or also to the existing Series 10 and Ultra 2 models is unclear at the moment. Competitors such as Samsung already offer blood pressure measurement via smartwatch, where the function must be regularly calibrated based on measurements with a classic blood pressure monitor.
According to information from the financial news agency, Apple will use a new mobile chip in the Watch in the future. Instead of Intel baseband, the manufacturer will use MediaTek modem for the first time and thus will also provide support for 5G networks. In particular, support for “5G RedCap” is being discussed, which is for restricted 5G functions (“reduced capabilities”) and for smaller and energy-efficient devices. Apple is working on an in-house cellular modem for iPhones, but no equivalent is in the works yet for the Watch.
Decline in sales of Apple wearables
Apple’s wearables division, which includes the Apple Watch, has been on a growth path for a long time. However, sales have declined in the last two financial years. Innovations in Apple watches can now be managed from year to year. Apple just refreshed the Apple Watch Ultra with a new case color; Internally it remained at the 2023 level.
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