A new patent from Apple reveals that the Apple Watch's Digital Crown may soon be replaced with an optical sensor. As reported by Patently Apple, the possible optical sensor will use gestures as a way to control the Apple Watch, thus replacing the current Digital Crown. The optical sensor may also measure heart rate, blood oxygen level, blood pressure, and other biometric data.
The new patent's optical sensor would most likely work similarly to the Apple Watch's Digital Crown. The user may move their finger in front of the optical sensor, and when the sensor detects the user's gesture, the Apple Watch may use it to control the system or change the displayed information.
The possible Apple Watch optical sensor may be configurable to detect the user's gestures at different distances from the sensor. According to the patent, the sensor may be adjusted to detect motion when the user touches it or when the gesture is within a short distance of it.
The new Apple Watch patent is named "Watch with optical sensor for user input" According to Apple, the new Apple Watch patent will use fewer moving parts, thus making the Apple Watch more durable. The more moving parts there are in a device, the more likely it is that these parts could fail at some point or for some reason. Apple's new Apple Watch patent also aims to free up space that could be used to house additional components in the Apple Watch.
Although Apple's "Watch with optical sensor for user input" patent is now a reality, this doesn't mean that Apple will certainly use this technology in a real-life product.
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Preslav Mladenov is a News and Affiliate Content Writer at PhoneArena who started on his tech journalism journey in December 2021. With persistent knack for finding the best deals out there, he swiftly became a pivotal Affiliate Content Writer, guiding readers towards significant savings on a plethora of gadgets, including smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, and headphones. Mladenov's deep-seated knowledge of mobile tech, paired with a rich background in sales, empowers him to unearth the finest deals on the web.
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