AirPods Pro 3 can measure body temperature, which is very important for girls.
More useful for girls
If you were to make a list of the most important Apple products after the iPhone, AirPods would definitely be in the top three.
This pair of earphones, weighing less than 10 grams, has sold hundreds of millions of units globally. It has not only completely changed the way people listen to music but also redefined what a "wireless earphone" is.
After the recent report that AirPods Pro 3 will feature a heart rate sensor, 9to5Mac has reported that Apple also wants to add a body temperature detection function to the earphones.
In other words, after "wireless" and "quiet", the third keyword Apple has assigned to AirPods is: health.
It may sound far - fetched at first, but after some research, it seems quite reasonable.
Why earphones?
The secret to making earphones more than just earphones lies in two small sensors.
One of them is an old friend of ours - the heart rate sensor. Thanks to it, the Apple Watch has long since made the leap from heart rate monitoring to medical - grade electrocardiogram.
But what about putting heart rate detection on earphones? In fact, Apple has already tested the waters with its own PowerBeats Pro 2.
Introducing it to the AirPods Pro, which has a larger user base, seems like a logical step.
The other key component is the temperature sensor.
Putting a thermometer in the ear may sound a bit off - topic, but upon closer inspection, it actually makes a lot of sense:
A large number of clinical studies have shown that compared to other organs/limbs that smart devices can access, the ear temperature is the most stable and accurate.
A paper published in the authoritative journal "Medical Devices: Evidence and Research" in 2016 systematically compared various common body temperature measurement methods. Researchers compared the temperature readings of the mouth, armpit, forehead, and eardrum in a highly demanding environment like the intensive care unit (ICU).
The research results clearly indicated that the accuracy and precision of the bilateral tympanic membrane temperature are significantly better than all other parts, making it one of the most reliable non - invasive temperature measurement methods.
This conclusion actually stems from the ingenious physiological structure of the human body: The eardrum deep in the ear shares the same core blood supply with the body temperature control center of our brain - the hypothalamus.
The blood flowing through there best understands the real temperature of our body at the moment.
Some may ask: Since the Apple Watch can already measure temperature, why add another sensor to the already cramped space of the AirPods Pro?
This is because the wrist is exposed to the outside all day long, and the temperature reading is easily affected by the environment, fluctuating between cold and hot. In contrast, the ear canal is more like a "thermostat" inside our body. The environment is relatively enclosed, and the measured temperature is closer to our core body temperature, so the data is naturally more stable and accurate.
After discussing the technical aspect, let's talk about business.
Earphones are the undisputed king of smart wearable devices. According to IDC data, their shipment volume far exceeds the sum of other wearable devices and is more than twice that of smartwatches.
This means that once earphones are equipped with serious health functions, the number of people they can cover and influence will reach an unprecedented level.
But the question is, why is Apple so persistent in doing this? Is adding a temperature measurement function just to sell more AirPods?
Health has become Apple's DNA
Jeff Williams, Apple's former chief operating officer, once said a sentence that revealed the company's core thinking in the health field:
The core of medical services has always been the relationship between doctors and patients, and technology can improve the popularization of health and promote information exchange between users and doctors.
"Popularization" is the key to understanding Apple's health strategy. And the first step in achieving popularization is, of course, to put powerful tools/capabilities in everyone's hands.
This is not just empty talk. In 2015, while people were still discussing the design and price of the Apple Watch, Apple quietly launched a software architecture called ResearchKit.
In the past, what was the biggest obstacle to a medical research? It was extremely difficult to recruit suitable patients, and it was even more difficult to have them travel to the hospital frequently.
Apple thought like this: There are more than 1 billion iPhones in the world, and each one is a collection of various sensors such as gyroscopes, cameras, and microphones - Can they become "mobile sentry points" for medical research?
The emergence of ResearchKit changed the game rules.
Doctors at Stanford University used it to develop an app called "MyHeart Counts" to study cardiovascular diseases. Patients no longer need to queue up at the hospital. By taking a 6 - minute walk near their homes, the iPhone can complete the previously cumbersome tests through motion sensors and transmit real - time data such as heart rate and steps back to the research team.
This study attracted more than 11,000 participants within 24 hours of its release. In traditional research, such efficiency is incredible.
MyHeart Counts
Researchers at the University of North Carolina used ResearchKit to develop the "PPD ACT" app to explore the secrets of postpartum depression. Researchers at Duke University used the front - facing camera of the iPhone to develop the app "Autism & Beyond" to screen for childhood autism...
If ResearchKit was developed to help "researchers", then CareKit, which Apple launched shortly after, was designed to help "patients". It allows developers to create apps to help patients better manage their conditions, such as recording medication, tracking symptoms, and easily sharing this structured data with their doctors.
From ResearchKit to CareKit, Apple's logic is crystal clear:
First, use the massive number of iPhone users to help the medical community accelerate research. Then, return the research， results to every ordinary person through apps, enabling them to take the first responsibility for their own health.
The effect of this combination punch is astonishing. After the Apple Watch officially embarked on the health path, Apple itself also launched several unprecedentedly large - scale health studies:
Apple Heart Study: In cooperation with Stanford University, more than 400,000 people participated. This study verified the Apple Watch's ability to identify atrial fibrillation (AFib), directly leading to the implementation of the "irregular rhythm notification" and ECG electrocardiogram functions. These two functions have saved countless lives around the world;
Apple Hearing Study: In cooperation with the University of Michigan, it analyzed how earphone volume and environmental noise exposure affect our long - term hearing health. The result of this study is the "headphone safety" notification on our iPhones and the "Noise" app on the Apple Watch;
Apple Women's Health Study: It is this study that provides the most solid scientific foundation for the application of the temperature sensor on the current AirPods Pro.
What's most worth mentioning separately is the women's health study.
On social media, if you pay attention, you'll find that under the topics about the Apple Watch, many netizens share that its summary and prediction of the menstrual cycle are quite accurate.
Image from social media
Many doctors regard the menstrual cycle as a "vital sign" as important as heart rate and blood pressure.
A study conducted by Apple in cooperation with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that a woman's basal body temperature is closely related to her menstrual cycle.
However, research in this field has been insufficient for a long time. Apple wants to change this situation.
They found that more than 12% of the female participants were diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), and this group has a 4 - fold higher risk of endometrial hyperplasia and a 2.5 - fold higher risk of uterine cancer than the average person;
Another statistic is that 5.7% of the participants took more than five years after menarche to form a regular menstrual cycle. Women with irregular cycles also have a two - to three - fold higher risk of related diseases than those with regular cycles.
Like other health risk reports, behind the dense numbers are real people.
If we can notice cycle irregularities earlier and more conveniently through a daily - worn device, we can communicate with doctors more promptly and nip many health risks in the bud.
These examples explain the meaning of Jeff Williams' words. Whether it's ResearchKit making the iPhone a research tool or the Apple Watch calculating your running posture through rigorous algorithms, the underlying logic is the same:
Use the devices you already have on you, combined with algorithms, to dig out more health - related insights, and ultimately put the management of health in everyone's hands.
Not just "in the hands", but now also "on the ears".
From this perspective, it's not strange at all that AirPods Pro will have a temperature sensor. Like the Apple Watch, it is a piece of the puzzle in Apple's health map.
Now let's recap the sequence:
The iPhone was just a mobile phone at first, but later became a powerful tool to promote medical research through ResearchKit. The Apple Watch was initially just an extended accessory of the iPhone, but now it has become a health sentinel on the wrist that can save lives.
Soon, earphones will also become good companions for us to monitor our health - this is especially important for girls.
When these puzzle pieces come together, something interesting happens:
In the past, mobile phones and earphones were tools for us to explore the outside world. We used them to make calls, surf the Internet, listen to music, and connect to the vast world in videos and podcasts. This is a form of "seeking externally";
Now, Apple wants them to also become tools for us to examine our own bodies. Through heart rate and body temperature, we can sense the tiny changes and signals inside our bodies. This is a form of "seeking internally".
The combination of internal and external aspects is exactly Apple's product - making philosophy.