Apple Watch 8: Still no thermometer

According to a recent comment by well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple's plan to add a temperature sensor to the Apple Watch Series 8 looks increasingly unlikely.

Features of the Apple Watch 8 series that we know

Apple is believed to have initially considered adding a temperature sensor to last year's Apple Watch Series 7, but that didn't happen, Bloomberg reported in June that it was likely to be introduced in the 2022 update. Apple analyst Mingchi Guo has also previously expressed optimism, believing that body temperature sensing will become a feature of the Apple Watch 8 series.

However, when discussing the rumored Apple Watch with temperature, blood pressure and blood glucose sensors in his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman suggested. Don't expect to have these features soon."

Body temperature used to be on this year's roadmap, but discussions about it have slowed recently. Blood pressure will take at least two to three years, and I wouldn't be surprised if glucose monitoring doesn't appear until the second half of a decade later.

No matter when it arrives, the Apple Watch's temperature measurement feature is great for fertility tracking and staying asleep, and in the future it can also detect if a user has a fever.

Apple is rumored to be working on a way to monitor blood sugar levels noninvasively using optical sensors, which could provide diabetics with an easier way to manage the condition because it doesn't require puncturing the skin.

Earlier this year, Apple was revealed to be the largest customer of British electronics startup Rockley Photonics, which developed non-invasive optical sensors for detecting a variety of blood-related health indicators, including blood pressure, blood sugar and blood alcohol levels.

Rockley disclosed that its biggest customer was Apple, which was preparing to go public in New York. Given the growth of Rockley Photonics and the scale of Apple's partnership with the company, it seems inevitable that the company's health sensor technology will make its way into the Apple Watch at some stage, just not this year.

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