Apple smartwatch’s ECG sensor struggles to find its footing to tackle cardiovascular conditions

October 31, 2022 | Case Study

Apple smartwatches came to the forefront when they were one of the first to announce a dry electrode ECG sensor embedded within the Apple Watch 4 back in 2018. Before then, ECG detection was mostly something you could do only within a hospital. The announcement was met with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, not just for health and wellness enthusiasts, but also for consumers suffering from cardiovascular conditions, particularly atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a condition related to an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of the heart. The condition affects about 2%–4% of the world's adult population. However, four years and four iterations later (we are on Apple Watch 8 at the time of writing), Apple has yet to demonstrate value for Afib patients, and it is not for lack of trying.