Apple iWatch Release Date News: Tests on Sensors Fail Due to Excessive Hair, Dry Skin

Apple had planned to introduce a number of advanced sensors on the Apple Watch but many reportedly didn't pass the testing phase as dry skin and excessive hair proved too much to handle. This led to the sensors being dropped one by one as the Watch continued through its costly development phase.

The development of the Apple Watch turned out to be so costly that the Wall Street Journal labeled it as a "black hole" within the company. There was even a lot of debate about the purpose of the watch as each sensor was shelved, with many officials within the company wondering whether the end user would get any benefit from the device or even want it when it hit the market.

In a recent report, the Wall Street Journal said Apple wanted to include sensors to measure blood pressure and stress. The sensor to measure stress would involve the conductivity of skin, but Apple found out that this particular sensor did not work accurately when the watch is worn by a person with hairy arms and dry skin and if the watch is worn very tight.

Another sensor which Apple had planned to use to check blood pressure and blood oxygen levels was also found to show inconsistent readings and had to be removed from the watch. Moreover, if these sensors had been included and if they provided goals or advice to the wearer, they would have to be F.D.A. approved. Going by the report, it appeared that Apple did not want to take this risk in the soon to be released Apple Watch and instead planned to include such sensors in future devices.

When the Apple Watch is released in April, it will come with a sensor at its rear that uses a combination of LEDs and photodiodes to measure the heart rate of the user. It will also be able to detect the amount of physical movement a user makes in a day by combining the output from its accelerometer with the G.P.S. it is paired with in the user's iPhone.