Apple Watch to Get Massive Update Soon
Apple is reportedly readying a significant update for the Apple Watch with new software and hardware additions.
Just a month after the release of the first-gen Apple Watch, Apple is said to be preparing Watch OS 1.0, a major update of the wearable's software and hardware geared to enhance the device's security.
The update is also set to improve the Apple Watch's health and fitness capabilities, as well as its connectivity with other Apple devices, Wi-Fi features, and its integration with third party applications.
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Using the current gen Watch's hardware, Apple is experimenting with methods to get the wearable's heart rate sensor to alert users when an irregular heartbeat is detected. The update may also contain a blood pressure monitor and a sleep tracking app.
Apple is also looking into allowing "Complications," a third-party Watch face, on board. "Complications" brings with it small widgets indicating a user's Watch activity levels, including, calendar events, alarm clocks, current temperature, and battery life. There is likely to be a new version that includes a Twitter "Complication" widget, as well.
The company is also reportedly planning to market the current-gen Apple Watch as a main input device for their next-generation Apple TV, complete with the new device's upgraded remote control, and a new Xcode version with a "TVKit" feature allowing developers to build third-party apps for the Apple TV.
Apple was working on a "Find My Watch" app long before shipping the Apple Watch, which allows users to track their Watch's location, as well as remotely lock the wearable and wipe all data if their Apple Watch is lost or stolen.
The feature, akin to "Find My iPhone" for iOS handsets and "Find My Mac" for Apple's computers, made it more difficult to implement for an iPhone dependent wearable, necessitating Apple engineers to consider other novel options for a connectivity solution.
According to 9to5mac, Apple may be planning to integrate "Find My Watch" using its wireless signal to establish the Watch's location relative to the user's iPhone, and alerts the owner when they accidentally leave their iPhone behind -- a connectivity process the company is calling "Smart Leashing."
Both "Find My Watch" and "Smart Leashing" may be further off than even the upcoming update in terms of development, and is likely to see fruition in a next generation Apple Watch equipped with an independent wireless chip.
While no news is available on when the update will be released, Apple may make the announcement during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June this year.
