by Jason Snell
The difference between medicine and wellness
Nicole Wetsman, reporting for The Verge, answers a question I had about exactly how Apple is marketing the oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch Series 6:
The Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor isn’t a medical device and won’t be able to diagnose or monitor any medical conditions. The company says the feature is simply there to help users understand their fitness and wellness.
Medical devices require a lot more regulation and testing, so Apple can’t market this sensor as such—and until the effectiveness of sensors like this have been studied, you probably shouldn’t rely on it as a tool that you’re depending on to diagnose your health.
(Via Casey Liss, here’s an Apple support page on the subject.)