Why has the Apple Watch become more than just a smartwatch? The Apple Watch Ultra 2 as a device to protect your health and life

The Apple Watch continues to dominate the smartwatch market. Why has it gained such overwhelming support? Journalist Masakazu Honda explains the reasons using the Apple Watch Ultra 2 as an example. Honda says the biggest reason is that the Apple Watch has transcended the boundaries of a smartwatch and established itself as a device for protecting health and life.

A new challenge that has continued since the launch of the Apple Watch

When the Apple Watch Ultra was announced, I thought that the company was trying to find special value in using watches in extreme conditions, which was once the source of brand power for mechanical watches.

　In this column, when the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra was announced, I compared it to the path taken by functional watch brands of the past, and mentioned that the Apple Watch, which had previously been associated with T-shirts and jeans, was finally about to take its brand building to the next stage.

　Of course, it's not far off the mark, but it does highlight a different angle in Apple's brand strategy for smartwatches.

　And when we look again at Apple's current brand strategy for the Apple Watch, we can see that they are trying to take on new challenges that cannot be achieved with mechanical watches.

　When Apple first started their watch business, they were somewhat hesitant. Rather than being hesitant, they were developing the product category from multiple angles, looking at the possibilities in various directions.

　It seems that Apple itself was unclear about how to add premium value to its products.

　The first Apple Watch featured an original bracelet-style strap with unprecedented precision and was available in gold or stainless steel cases, and the launch of the Apple Watch involved a partner with the expertise of a master craftsman who had honed high-end mechanical watches.

　Looking back at the values ​​of the time, it seemed impossible to build a luxury luxury brand around electronic products whose functions and performance would become outdated in just a few years.

　Of course, there will be voices saying that there is still insufficient improvement in this regard.

　However, Apple has begun to take a different approach to building its brand than traditional watch manufacturers.

The wellness field has expanded, and the device is now positioned as a "life-saving device."

　It was the reaction from users that made them realize the new possibilities of the Apple Watch.

　In a 2019 interview with Jeff Williams, the company's COO who led and oversaw the development of the Apple Watch, he began by saying, "When we first developed the Apple Watch, we never imagined it would become a device that would save people's lives."

　There are many levels of involvement of technological devices in human health: wellness, healthcare, and medical. There are no boundaries between these areas; they are a continuum. Devices developed for healthcare may provide information useful for medical treatment, and devices originally developed for medical purposes may also be useful for everyday health.

　Apple's initial vision was to explore the wellness space.

　If you recall, the second-generation Apple Watch has focused on sports. However, the sports features are not aimed at athletes. The Apple Watch's sports support was improved to create a system that would help ordinary users improve their lifestyles and live healthier lives.

　However, as Apple developed its watch as a sports watch, it became convinced that its device could be useful not only for wellness purposes, but also for more serious healthcare and even medical purposes, such as protecting human health and even saving lives.

"We learned that the Apple Watch can monitor the user's health on a daily basis and potentially save their life," William said in an interview at the time. They received emails from Apple Watch users saying that their Apple Watch had saved their lives.

In addition to letters of gratitude saying they had lost weight or become more active, there were also letters from people saying their lives were saved after they had detected an abnormality in their heart rate from the sensor readings, checked their heart rate on their Apple Watch, and contacted a medical institution.

　After this experience, Apple began to focus on implementing various life-saving features into the Apple Watch, such as detecting abnormal heart rate fluctuations. A typical example is the fall detection feature incorporated into the fourth-generation product.

　The Apple Watch is currently in its ninth generation, and will likely reach its 10th anniversary at the end of this year. Going beyond the wellness aspects of the standard Apple Watch, the company will likely continue to refine its functions, suggestions, and monitoring features to protect people's health and lives. This is their fundamental motivation for working on this product, and the reason they are putting so much effort into its development.

Apple Watch Ultra now delivers health and life-saving features in even more extreme situations

　Oops, this column was about the second generation Apple Watch Ultra.

　Apple wanted to take the next step by further refining the purpose of the standard Apple Watch and elevating it into a device that protects health and life in a variety of areas and environments.

　When it comes to the Apple Watch, people often talk about its convenience, but Apple is trying to build its brand in the context of a device that protects health and life. I believe that Apple's strategy in this direction has been successful, even if it has not been specifically articulated.

　In addition to incorporating a wide variety of biometric sensors, Apple has launched a research and development program in collaboration with medical institutions to explore how the information obtained from the Apple Watch can be used to protect health and life. Initially, the project was centered around research and development institutions in the United States, but has now expanded globally, including Japan.

　Some people may think that there is still a lot to talk about with the Apple Watch Ultra, but I'm sure that everyone is well aware of the product's features and overview, including the second-generation "Apple Watch Ultra 2."

　The new platform, now in its second generation, features a larger battery capacity, a case and windshield designed to withstand heavy-duty and harsh environments, and is designed to capture more satellite signals.

　When developing the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple chose to expand its focus on protecting health and life through athletic activities such as ultramarathons, trail running, scuba diving, and mountain climbing.

　In the past, when you've fainted in a secluded place and can't reach your smartphone, your Apple Watch can automatically notify you of an emergency situation or call for help with just a few simple commands.

　The basic concept of the Apple Watch Ultra is to enable these health and life-saving functions to be utilized even in more extreme situations.

　So what's the big change with the second-generation iPhone, where the machine learning processing has been doubled? There's nothing radical about it. The machine learning processing is primarily used to map what Apple calls the double tap, where you press your index finger and thumb together, to a variety of adaptive functions.

　Because it's such a simple device, this kind of machine learning-based user interface enhancement is extremely effective. However, in the context of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, things change a bit.

　For example, if you encounter a dangerous situation while hiking and are unable to move, if you could take some action just by moving your fingertips, it could be a life-saving function.

　The Apple Watch evolves almost every year. While it's a digital device, it's also built on a well-thought-out platform that's been matured over many years. In other words, while it receives annual updates, its architecture emphasizes continuity with previous models. In that sense, rather than focusing on what the Ultra 2 can do, we should evaluate how the Apple Watch Ultra concept is being utilized in the modern era, while keeping an eye on the evolution of the functions of watchOS, the operating system Apple has implemented on the Apple Watch.

　Again, unlike mechanical watches, the Apple Watch gets a new generation every year, with no intention of making previous models obsolete.

　The latest technology is implemented as hardware, and the latest advances in software technology and knowledge gained through research and development with partners are reflected in watchOS. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that Apple's strict adherence to this cycle gives it a sense of trust as a brand.