iPhone 5 has had its time in the spotlight, so now iPhone 6 rumors should start gaining momentum. The latest suggest that Apple’s next smartphone may turn the device into a hygrometer, barometer and thermometer.
The idea of integrating these sensors into a smartphone is anything but new. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S4 already had pressure and temperature sensors, so all that Apple did was to get inspired by the South Korean company. As a paradox, Apple might sue Samsung at a later point, claiming that they stole the idea from an iPhone launched in the future. Even the iPhone 5S was meant to come with more and better sensors than it was released with, but I guess that in Apple’s case, it’s better late than never.
Sun Chang Xu, news chief analyst at ESM-China, claims that sources close to the matter confirmed that Apple is looking to implement such technologies in its next flagship. In case there is any confusion, I should tell you that the pressure sensor does not refer to blood pressure (which would be really hard, if not impossible to determine using a smartphone), but to atmospheric pressure.
Apple’s great array of sensors makes a lot of sense in the context of iOS 8, which is said to bring support for them. The next mobile operating system developed by the Cupertino company will actually bring the Quantified Self closer to reality. Obviously, that has a greater meaning for the company’s iWatch, which should be able to measure a lot of parameters, including blood pressure, hydration, heart rate, calories burned, glucose levels and so on.
In the great scheme of things, the sensors and features that the iWatch should carry (given that a team of tech medical experts has been co-opted to help develop it) make the iPhone 6′s sensors not that spectacular, yet realistic.
It would be interesting to see whether Apple fans have missed such features in their smartphones, and so, if they could find various applications for these sensors. In time, I’m sure that there will be plenty of apps developed that will make use of the temperature, pressure and humidity sensors integrated in the iPhone 6. Aside from that, we’re looking forward to see what other rumors related to Apple’s flagship will surface in the future.
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The latest rumors surrounding Apple’s yet to be officially announced iWatch refer to the charging options this smartwatch could come with.
Not long ago, it was rumored that Apple hired a team of medical tech experts to work on a health-focusing Fuelband-inspired iWatch. Now, the company is reportedly analyzing the ways their smartwatch could charge, and the options include induction, motion and solar charging. If these rumors were true, it would mean that Apple is finally bringing something revolutionary to the table. All of these charging methods take a turn from the traditional ways that typically involve cables and power sockets, and suggest that Apple could be thinking of a waterproof design.
Battery life is indeed one of the greatest concerns of anyone buying a mobile product, be it a smartwatch or a tablet. From this point of view, Samsung Galaxy Gear turned out to be a disappointment, and maybe this is exactly what Apple stakes on. Pebble’s e-Ink display is at the other end of the specter, but I doubt that such a fancy company as Apple would ever make a smartwatch with an e-Ink display. Still, considering last year’s patent application, it’s pretty certain that the iWatch will have a curved screen. Knowing how power hungry todays gadgets are, minimizing the power consumption of the display would be a great deal that could help Apple differentiate itself from the competition.
Inductive, motion and solar charging would mean that people could actually forget about charging their iWatch. On top of that, data collected by the motion sensors would be entered in Healthbook, an app that Apple is reportedly working on. This means that the iWatch could determine our fitness levels by the way we move our hands. Rumor has it that this app will be integrated in the next mobile operating system made by Apple, iOS 8.
Considering that back in 2008, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told The Telegraph that “Apple’s future could lie in an ‘iWatch’,” and six years later that product has yet to materialize, I’d say that this company is moving at a snail’s pace. In April 2013, a board member brought up the word “watch”, but I’m pretty certain that the context was something among the lines: “Man, look at that [insert name of tech company that launched a smartwatch here] watch!”
If you liked this post, please check the initial rumors about the iWatch and the VACHEN app powered Android smartwatch.