The New Apple Watch’s Tentpole Features Apparently Aren’t Exclusive to Series 11
In my piece yesterday reflecting on Tuesday’s Apple event, I mentioned in the Apple Watch section that it was notable the device now supports what Apple calls “[spotting] signs of chronic high blood pressure and [notifying] you of possible hypertension.” Of high blood pressure, the company says the condition “impacts over 1.3 billion adults worldwide and is a leading cause of a heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.”
Although Apple is (rightly) championing the new Series 11’s ability to detect possible hypertension as a marquee feature, what I didn’t know until last night is the functionality is supported on more models than only the latest and greatest. To wit, my pal Jason Snell at Six Colors reports this week the high blood pressure alerts also are available on Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. (I have a Series 10 in silver aluminum, so this certainly is welcome news on my end.) Likewise, the sleep score feature Apple is advertising in Series 11 is also available for Apple Watch Series 6 and later. Indeed, Snell noted he received a sleep score notification on his Apple Watch just this week, which is running the recently-released watchOS 26 RC, or release candidate.
“I’m sure the announcement of the Apple Watch’s [Series 11] new hypertension alert feature helped bulk up the Apple Watch segment and reinforce its image as an important health device… I get why Apple does it, but just so we’re clear, you don’t need to buy a new watch to get a sleep score,” Snell said.
The reason I was so delighted to read Snell’s coverage of this in his story is, as I said yesterday, I’m not feeling a pressing need to upgrade my year-old Series 10. The big screen and light weight remain joyful, plus I can rest with even more assurance when I upgrade to watchOS 26 come Monday that I’ll get the hypertension and sleep score alerts. Of course, reviewing shiny new gadgets is what tech journalism is all about, and I anticipate eventually testing Series 11. The salient point is only this: for many in the disability community, most of whom must pinch their pennies, that people can go another year with a modern device—thanks to regular software updates from Apple!—means they needn’t have to unnecessarily spend on a premium, high-end product in order to get the functionality that most matters to them. It’s highly plausible, for example, certain conditions and/or medications may require closer monitoring of blood pressure spikes; that someone’s Series 9 or 10 helps do that via software only increases the device’s useful lifespan and, crucially in terms of economics, its value proposition.
