Apple Watch Series 8 delivers best-in-class health features, including an innovative temperature sensor that enables advanced features for women's health, and Crash Detection for severe car crashes

The redesigned Apple Watch SE delivers the core Apple Watch experience at a new starting price

Apple® today introduced Apple Watch® Series 8 and the new Apple Watch SE®, which bring groundbreaking technology and performance, and important safety innovations to the two best-selling smartwatches. Apple Watch Series 8 features the beloved design of Apple Watch, including a large, Always-On Retina® display and a strong crack-resistant front crystal. With all-day 18-hour battery life, Apple Watch Series 8 builds on best-in-class health and safety features like the ECG app and fall detection by introducing temperature-sensing capabilities, retrospective ovulation estimates, Crash Detection, and international roaming. The new Apple Watch SE delivers the core Apple Watch experience, including Activity tracking, high and low heart rate notifications, and Emergency SOS, as well as the new Crash Detection feature and a completely redesigned back case that perfectly matches the three classic case finishes, all at a more affordable price of $249 (US). Both models are powered by watchOS® 9, introducing new and more customizable watch faces like Lunar and Metropolitan, an enhanced Workout app, sleep stages, a first-of-its-kind AFib History feature, and an all-new Medications app.

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Apple Watch Series 8 and the new Apple Watch SE bring groundbreaking new technology to the two best-selling smartwatches. (Photo: Business Wire)

Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE are available to order today, with availability beginning Friday, September 16.

"We hear from customers how Apple Watch helps them stay connected with loved ones, be more active, and live healthier lives," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "Apple Watch Series 8 reinforces our commitment in these areas with the addition of pioneering technology, while Apple Watch SE brings advanced core features at a new starting price. Powered by watchOS 9, the best smartwatches deliver more capabilities than ever before."

Wrist Temperature Sensing for Women's Health

The menstrual cycle is an important marker of health, and many physicians consider it a vital sign. Apple Watch Series 8 features innovative new temperature-sensing capabilities that give women further insights into their health, designed with the same privacy protections as with all other health data.1

Apple Watch Series 8 takes a unique approach to temperature sensing with a two-sensor design — one sensor on the back of the watch, nearest the skin, and another just under the display — reducing bias from the outside environment.

Nighttime wrist temperature can be a good indicator of overall body temperature. The sensors in Apple Watch Series 8 sample the wrist temperature during sleep every five seconds and measure changes as small as 0.1° C. In the Health app, users can see nightly shifts in baseline temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag, or even illness.2

Utilizing the new temperature-sensing capabilities in Apple Watch Series 8, users can receive retrospective ovulation estimates. Knowing when ovulation has occurred can be helpful for family planning, and Apple Watch Series 8 makes it easy and convenient by providing these estimates in the Health app. Temperature sensing also enables improved period predictions.

Additionally, with iOS 16 and watchOS 9, all Cycle Tracking users can now receive a notification if their logged cycle history shows a possible deviation, such as irregular, infrequent, or prolonged periods, and persistent spotting, which can be symptoms of underlying health conditions.

To enable Crash Detection, Apple developed an advanced sensor-fusion algorithm that leverages a new, more powerful gyroscope and accelerometer on Apple Watch, which now has the highest dynamic range accelerometer in any smartwatch. To create the algorithm, data was collected from these new motion sensors at professional crash test labs with common passenger cars in simulated real-world accidents, including head-on, rear-end, side-impact, and rollovers. In addition to motion data, Crash Detection uses the barometer, GPS, and the microphone on iPhone® as inputs to detect the unique patterns that can indicate whether a severe crash has taken place.

When Apple Watch detects a severe car crash, the device will check in with the user and dial emergency services if they are unresponsive after a 10-second countdown. Emergency responders will receive the user's device location, which is also shared with the user's emergency contacts. When combined, Crash Detection on Apple Watch and iPhone work seamlessly to get users help efficiently. When a severe car crash is detected, the emergency services call interface will appear on Apple Watch, as it is most likely to be in closer proximity to the user, while the call is placed through iPhone if it is in range for the best possible connection.

To keep users connected for even longer, a new Low Power Mode can extend battery life to reach up to 36 hours for Apple Watch Series 8 with iPhone present.3 This new mode temporarily disables or limits select sensors and features, including the Always-On Retina display, workout autostart, heart health notifications, and more.

The latest software brings new features and enhanced experiences to the world's leading wearable operating system:

Apple Watch Series 8 will be available across a range of case finishes, colors, and band types to fit a variety of personal styles. Apple Watch Series 8 comes in aluminum and stainless steel cases in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and is compatible with all bands. Aluminum case colors for Apple Watch Series 8 include starlight, midnight, silver, and (PRODUCT)RED, while the stainless steel case offers silver, graphite, and gold. With Apple Watch Studio®, Apple Watch Series 8 can be paired with any available band in the same collection.

Apple Watch Nike and Apple Watch Hermès also debut new bands and watch faces this fall. Nike has vibrant new Sport Band colors and a new Sport Loop with the "Just Do It" logo woven right into the band. Starting this fall, any Apple Watch user running watchOS 9 — even those without a Nike model — will be able to access all the Nike watch faces, including the fresh colors coming to the Bounce face.

Apple Watch Hermès introduces two new bands: H Diagonal, which creates a sporty pattern of the Hermès H with hundreds of microperforations, and Gourmette Metal, which features a polished stainless steel chain and noir leather wrapping twice around the wrist. A whimsical new Hermès watch face called Lucky Horse beautifully complements the new bands and celebrates the equestrian roots of the house with an animated horse that sleeps when the wrist is down and comes alive when it is raised.

The new Apple Watch SE delivers advanced features at a new low price, and is a great way for users to start their Apple Watch journey, use with Family Setup, or gift to their loved ones. Powerful upgrades include the S8 SiP advanced dual-core processor, the same processor that is in Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra™, making it 20 percent faster than the previous generation, along with Crash Detection and international roaming.

Apple Watch SE maintains the same case design, but features a redesigned matching back case made of a nylon composite material, making it lighter than ever. With watchOS 9, Apple Watch SE users can enjoy the benefits of the new Compass app in addition to the enhanced fitness and wellness features. Apple Watch SE is available in 40mm and 44mm aluminum cases, in midnight, starlight, and silver finishes, and is compatible with all bands.

Apple Watch and the Environment

Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE are designed to minimize their impact on the environment. Both models are made with 100 percent recycled aluminum in the case, 100 percent recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine®, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. In a first for Apple Watch, both models feature 100 percent recycled gold — in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards on Apple Watch Series 8, and in the plating of the SiP on the new Apple Watch SE. Both models are free of mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium. No Apple Watch packaging uses outer plastic wrap, and 94 percent or more of the packaging is fiber based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from its packaging by 2025.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to be 100 percent carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.

Privacy is fundamental in the design and development across all of Apple's features. When a user's iPhone is locked with a passcode, Touch ID®, or Face ID®, all of their health and fitness data in the Health app — other than Medical ID — is encrypted. Any Health data backed up to iCloud® is encrypted both in transit and on Apple servers. When using iOS and watchOS with the default two-factor authentication and a passcode, Health app data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end, meaning that Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple's five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

1 The Cycle Tracking app should not be used as a form of birth control. Data from the Cycle Tracking app should not be used to diagnose a health condition.

2 The temperature-sensing feature is not a medical device and not intended for use in medical diagnosis, treatment, or for any other medical purpose.

3 During normal use, Apple Watch Series 8 can reach up to 36 hours of battery life with iPhone present.

4 International roaming is available on Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra, and all cellular models from Apple Watch Series 5 onward running watchOS 9. See apple.com/watch/cellular for more information.

5 AFib History is intended for use by people ages 22 years or older who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

6 Coming to Australia later this fall.

7 The Medications feature should not be used as a substitute for professional medical judgment. Additional information is available on medication labels, but please consult a healthcare provider prior to making any decisions related to personal health.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

© 2022 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Watch, Apple Watch SE, Retina, watchOS, iPhone, Digital Crown, Apple Watch Studio, Apple Watch Ultra, Taptic Engine, Touch ID, Face ID, iCloud, Apple Store, iPhone SE, and Apple Fitness+ are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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