What to Know
- Apple may announce new watches at the upcoming "It's Glowtime" event, which takes place on September 9.
- The new workout features on watchOS 11 are helping athletes train harder and reach their goals.
- Apple Watches keep saving lives, detecting heart conditions even in the absence of concerning symptoms.
August has been a busy month for the Apple Watch. While we anxiously await new models to come out this fall, some users are testing new watchOS 11 features, while others praise existing cardiovascular features that literally saved their lives. We'll help you get up to date on all things Apple, from shareholder updates to wearable chargers as accessories.
Will Apple Announce a New Watch on September 9?
With Apple's upcoming "It's Glowtime" event just around the corner, we're excited to see if all of our Apple Watch 10 predictions will come true! We expect the September 9 event to bring us the new iPhone 16 lineup but hopefully also an Apple Watch 10 or X, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and maybe an Apple Watch SE (3rd generation).
The new Apple Watch 10 is rumored to be available in an extra-large size, making it almost the same size as the Apple Watch Ultra 3. This makes people wonder what exciting features the new Ultra 3 will have to help sway buyers to pick this expensive, rugged alternative. A report made by a CIRP analyst shows that the flagship Series 9 is way more popular than the Apple Watch Ultra or Apple Watch SE (2nd generation). If this trend continues, the new 10 will outshine the other models that come out next month. I'm here wondering if Apple's plan to 3D print colorful housing for the new SE (3rd gen) will encourage more adults and children to switch to the cheaper alternative.
Do the New Features Live Up to The Hype?
The new watches will also come with the new watchOS 11 software that brings many new and exciting features to our favorite wearable. One of these new features is Training Load. Marathoner Nick Harris-fry has been testing this feature and has some mixed reviews. Harris-fry has enjoyed being able to add a training parameter to his strength-training workouts and finds the Vitals app watch face complication to be aesthetically pleasing but also very informative.
On the other hand, he reports that the Training Load rating for interval workouts was not very accurate since the Apple Watch uses the user's average heart rate to estimate effort. Harris-fry also points out that, unlike some other fitness watches, the purpose of the Apple Watch is to inform the wearer instead of recommending specific workouts and activity intensity, which in itself has pros and cons. You can test Training Load yourself, even before the public version is released, by downloading the watchOS 11 beta update.
Exciting New Apple Watch Accessories
You're not a true Apple Watch fan if you don't accessorize, and there are so many options out there. One of the most exciting new Apple Watch products on the market is the PowerBand: Apple Watch Band with Built-In MagSafe Charger. For just $39.99, you can have peace of mind knowing that your Apple Watch charger is right on your wrist and ready to plug in and charge whenever you need it. Since one of Apple Watch's biggest struggles is with battery life, this can be a game changer.
This next one isn't an Apple Watch accessory but rather a companion… for both your watch and you! The friend necklace, spelled with a lowercase f, is a subscription-free AI friend that can keep you company at all times. Instead of speaking to you out loud like Siri, this smart necklace will send you a text with a response to whatever you say to it. If you have an Apple Watch, you can read these texts conveniently on your wrist.
Apple Watches Keep Saving Lives—Literally!
Apple hasn't been humble about the life-saving features of the Apple Watch—with good reason. Peter Moore, former president of Xbox, doesn't think he'd be here today if it weren't for his watch. Moore felt lightheaded and thought that a coffee could help, but when his Apple Watch and iPhone began to alert him that his heart rate had dropped to a concerning level, he knew it was a serious situation. His wife helped rush him to a hospital where a cardiac electrophysiologist told him he needed a pacemaker.
Sean Elliott is another grateful user. His Apple Watch detected an irregular heartbeat even though he was not experiencing any noticeable symptoms. The San Antonio Spurs lead television analyst saw a doctor following the Atrial Fibrillation alert on his watch. The cardiologists had to shock his heart into beating properly, thus preventing a potential stroke.
Cardiovascular health alerts are not the only way that Apple Watches can keep you safe. Apple's popular Check In feature came to iPhone with the iOS 17 update, but watchOS 11 brings it to your wrist as well! It works in the Messages app—just open a conversation thread and tap the plus icon and scroll until you see Check In. You can then have your watch automatically alert your contact once you arrive at a destination, complete a workout, or once your timer runs out.
Californians Get Virtual Apple Watch State IDs
The list of items in my Apple Watch Wallet app keeps getting longer as more and more companies offer compatible virtual tickets, keys, and IDs. According to Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, Jennifer Bailey, it won't be long until Californians can add their state IDs and driver's licenses to their Apple Wallet! That way, you will never have to worry about losing your official card since it is always safe and sound in your virtual wallet. We're not sure what the legal ramifications of this will be, but I'm excited to see this step towards the future.
Major Apple Shareholder, Warren Buffett, Sells 50%
Berkshire Hathaway, owned by Warren Buffett, has recently sold half of its stake in Apple, and people are wondering why. According to Buffett's company, the move was made for tax purposes, but others think the company might be in need of cash. Whatever the reason, Tim Cook responded well to the transaction, stating how privileged Apple is to have Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder. For more articles about Apple and Apple Watch, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.
Other August Apple News
Have you ever wished your HomePod had a display? You may be in luck: Apple has supposedly been working on a hybrid device that merges HomePod and Apple TV and gives it a display to boot. Some say this new device might be announced during the September 9 Apple announcement, but others say this won't happen this year, next year, or maybe ever.
iPhones aren't a stranger to random glitches, but there's a really weird one happening right now. While we don't recommend you try it, it's good to know that if you type the characters "":: into certain text entry fields on your phone, like the Settings app search bar, your iPhone will crash temporarily. I tried it so that you don't have to, and all it did was close the Settings app unexpectedly, but who knows if more serious issues can occur.
Now you're up to date on all things Apple Watch! Don't forget to check out our July Apple Watch news roundup if you haven't done so already, or take a deep dive into current hacks and scams that could threaten your devices and data.
Top image credit: DenPhotos / Shutterstock.com
