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Apple Watch support for Android was tantalisingly close – report
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Apple seriously considered making itsApple Watchproduct line compatible with Android phones before scrapping the idea, according to a new report.
The reliableBloombergreporter Mark Gurman’s sources claim some at Apple were on board with the idea, but ultimately the fear it may cannibalise iPhone sales won the day.
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The undisputed leader of the smartwatch market is famously Android-averse and requires the companioniPhone‘Watch’ app to set up the timepiece.
However, because there are parts of the world where Apple has a very minimal market share, the opportunities to sell Apple Watches are practically non existent.
The claim comes within a wider article about Apple’s efforts to make the Apple Watch an essential health device, both for fitness and monitoring ailments. The efforts to make these benefits more universal is where the discussions on Android compatibility began.
“For a time, Apple engineers were also deeply engaged in an effort to make the watch and Health app compatible with the billions of Android devices in circulation,” Gurman wrote on November 1.
He added: “The move, codenamed Project Fennel, would have brought the company’s health features — and the health benefits Apple has repeatedly underlined — to many more people, especially in countries where Apple has little market share. But other business considerations prevailed: The work was nearly complete when Project Fennel was canceled, in part because the Apple Watch is a driver of iPhone sales. “If you gave up the watch to Android, you would dilute the value of the watch to the iPhone,” said someone with knowledge of the decision.”
Apple is still thought to be closing in on some major health tracking milestones for the next-generationApple Watch X. Bloomberg reckons the 2024 model will include blood pressure monitoring as well as sleep apnea and hypertension detection.
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Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
