The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will come with support for satellite messaging, says a new report from Bloomberg’s always-in-the-Apple loop Mark Gurman. It allows you to send text messages even without a mobile or Wi-Fi connection, only via satellites.
The Ultra 3 could also offer blood pressure monitoring, but this has been postponed before, so apparently it’s less secure at the moment. This feature was initially set to release in 2023, for what it’s worth. This does not give you an exact reading, but instead informs you when you may be in a state of hypertension. A non-invasive blood glucose tracker is also being developed, but that will certainly not be available next year.
Satellite communications first arrived on the iPhone 14 in 2022 and expanded last year with contact with roadside assistance providers. This year, Apple added the ability to text anyone via iMessage. Until now, you obviously needed an iPhone for all this, but with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 you can leave your iPhone at home.
These new features are apparently Apple’s way of reinvigorating smartwatch sales, which have been “slow” lately. Revenue from the unit, which includes watches, has fallen over the past two years as people have had less reason to upgrade. And Apple is betting that satellite messaging and (perhaps) blood pressure monitoring will be convincing enough.
Next year, some Apple Watch models will see another change: the use of MediaTek modems instead of Intel’s. If successful, this would be the first time Apple has bought a major part of MediaTek. The new modems support 5G Redcap, a 5G service specifically aimed at wearables and devices that do not require fast data connections.