Apple has unveiled its newest line of smartwatches, and the devices are more aware than ever of what’s going on with users.
For one thing, the Apple Watch Series 5 features a built-in compass and updated Maps app that can better locate users and help them to get where they’re going. It also features a new, always-on retina display that will automatically darken (in order to conserve battery) when the user’s wrist is down, brightening only when the device detects that the user has raised their arm up to check the watch.
The smartwatch gets even more nosey when it comes to software improvements. A Noise app is designed to detect when a user’s environment is loud enough to potentially affect their hearing, and a paired Activity Trends feature on the iPhone will let users track their physical activity as detected by the Apple Watch.
And then there’s the Cycle Tracking app, Apple’s notable foray into menstrual tracking. If users log important information, the app will offer predictions about the timeline for their next period, as well as fertility windows.
As for less intimate bodily metrics, Apple hasn’t said anything about blood pressure and glucose monitoring capabilities that were the subject of some speculation ahead of the Apple Watch Series 5’s announcement. The new devices presumably still support the ECG capabilities that helped to set the Apple Watch Series 4 apart from some rivals, but it looks like more advanced biometrics will have to wait for a future iteration of the premium smartwatch.
The Apple Watch Series 5 will become available for preorder this Friday, and is slated to hit store shelves on September 20th. Pricing starts at $399.
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