Apple Watch Series 6 Revealed, and It Beats the Clock

Abhinav Raj, Writer
@uxconnections

Apple’s sixth-generation watch redefines health and wellness capabilities of wearable tech, and it’s here in the nick of time

‘Time Flies’ event on Tuesday had all eyes set on 1 Infinite Loop, hotly anticipating the arrival of Apple’s next-generation product line-up. 

Whether it was Apple’s decision to not lead the fall event with the new iPhone, or the unforeseen iOS 14 update scheduled for launch in less than 12 hours, the firm subverted our expectations—for better or for worse, time will tell. 

But Apple also took the wraps off something that will tell the time, and a bit more. 

The Apple Watch Series 6 is here, and it’s already on the watch list of many.

The Apple Watch Series 6 features customisable watch faces to find your fit. (Image: Apple Inc.)

Despite the uncanny semblance, Apple’s sixth-generation watch is more than the Fitbit on steroids and does a lot more. 

The vibrant ensemble of Apple’s new smartwatches feature titivated hardware, a stunning always-on retina display and a never-before-seen customisable interface enabled by the new, revamped watchOS 7. 

The new watch Series 6 line-up is powered by an S6 dual-core processor based on the A13 Bionic chip utilized by the iPhone 11. 

But the upgrade isn’t just minor hardware tweaks and design improvements; the Series 6 is engineered for adaptability in midst of the global health crisis.

Infrared LEDs and photodiodes on the back crystal of the new Apple Watch. (Image: Apple Inc.)

The Watch Series 6 comes equipped with four LED clusters and photodiodes allowing the ability to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) of the wearer’s blood. Green, red and infrared LEDs emit electromagnetic radiation onto the user’s wrist and photosensitive diodes measure the colour properties of the light reflected to calculate the blood oxygen levels of the wearer. 

Information pertaining to blood oxygen levels has been deeply insightful amid COVID-19 outbreak, say doctors. 

“If a person has a mild case of COVID-19 and is self-treating at home, an oximeter can be a helpful tool for checking oxygen levels so that low oxygen levels can be caught early,” said Dr Tim Connolly, a pulmonologist at Houston Methodist in an interview.

Apple Watch Series 6 demonstrating blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. (Image: Apple Inc.)

For most, a blood-oxygen-level dipping under 90 is considered low and may indicate the requirement of medical evaluation and subsequent treatment. The blood oxygen monitoring feature in Series 6 could be a stitch in time that saves nine. 

The 2020 Apple Watch can generate an ECG, play music, podcasts audiobooks, share your activities… and that barely makes the tip of the iceberg of the myriad features the Series 6 comes packed with. The Watch Series 6 has something for everyone. 

Time does fly, but is Series 6 the need of the hour?