The technology described in the patent would allow the Apple Watch to advance from IPxx ratings used in everyday life to far more rigorous ATM ratings used for water sports.
Bloomberg published several reports last year, the first in March describing a robust model.
“Apple is considering expanding its line of Apple Watch models, a new model that would focus on athletes and extreme climbers and mountaineers.” As Bloomberg reported at the time, “the case of this watch would have a robust design with impact resistance and a protective exterior, similar to the Casio G-Shock watch.”
The second report focused on expected design and technology improvements for the Apple Watch Series 7 but also referred to a special model expected this year.
The extreme sports model, described by some at Apple as an “explorer” or “adventure” edition, was in development for release in 2021 but is more likely to be launched in 2022. This new model would help Apple compete. with offers from players such as Garmin Ltd. and Casio Computer Co.
It would be logical for the “adventurous” model to offer better water resistance at the sports level, which is what the patent application published today refers to.
Wearable devices are required to survive increasingly more stringent reliability requirements such as dust, sand, or other debris exposure. Gel-filled sensors have been used to survive these requirements but are vulnerable to pressure errors due to orientation sensitivity and capillary pressure errors due to water on the gel surface. Gel elimination by using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane or mesh to provide environmental robustness is possible, but the membrane and/or mesh is prone to water occlusion […]
The present description relates generally to sensor technology, and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a stand-alone water detector with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane architecture.
This description generally refers to sensor technology, and, more precisely, but not exclusively, to a stand-alone water detector with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane architecture.
What the patent describes is a more efficient way to detect water penetration and take measures to protect the watch. As Apple Patently suggests, this could potentially mean that Apple is targeting a scale of waterproofing focused on sport measured in atmospheres (ATM).
While these ratings sound extreme even for sports use, the reality is that moving fast (such as diving from significant heights) can result in high-pressure ratings even in relatively shallow water, writes 9to5Mac.
Of course, there are no official confirmations from the Cupertino company yet, but early reports suggest that this may be a very likely scenario.
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