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Tech News
Apple has released watchOS 27.0.1, a software update targeted only at Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 devices. According to Apple's release notes, the update addresses a bug causing some watches to restart unexpectedly. The issue had been reported by multiple users on Reddit and other forums, who described their new watches restarting several times a day.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has postponed work on a wearable AI pendant that would have included a camera and microphone to feed visual and audio data to Siri. The device was designed to be worn as a necklace or clipped to clothing, serving as an always-on companion to the iPhone. Apple is instead prioritizing AI features on Apple Watch, with AirPods featuring cameras and smart glasses reportedly planned for 2027.
After several days testing the Apple Watch Series 12, a reviewer highlights the new S11 chip as a major speed boost, especially noting Siri now runs smoothly under watchOS 27. The device also gains new health complications—Heart Rate, Daily Steps, and Readiness—thanks to an updated Health Sensing System, plus quicker charging that delivers up to 12 hours of battery from just 15 minutes on the charger.
Bloomberg reports Apple is prototyping a screenless fitness tracker with a fabric band and sensor-equipped module, similar to Whoop's wearables. The device is described as being in early development, with a possible release no earlier than 2028 if Apple proceeds. Whoop's existing products include a medical-grade EKG variant and batteries lasting over 14 days.
Apple's new Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 use a Health Sensing System that samples heart rate every five seconds instead of every five minutes, requiring the optical sensor's green light to flash almost continuously. To avoid that light being visible in dark settings, Theater Mode automatically slows heart rate readings back to five-minute intervals, but a new setting lets users override this and keep continuous measurements.
Apple has built native live step tracking directly into the watch face on the new Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, joining live heart rate as a standard complication option from the Fitness app. Previously, step data was only viewable inside the Fitness or Health apps, even though third-party apps like Pedometer++ had offered on-face step counts for years.
Apple's newly released Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 do not appear on the supported hardware list for the handwashing detection and timer feature, even though the feature remains active in watchOS 27 and Apple Health on older models like Series 11 and Ultra 3. It's unclear whether this is an intentional hardware limitation or simply an oversight in Apple's documentation.
Apple's Series 12 smartwatch now samples heart rate every 5 seconds, up from every 5 minutes on prior models, and adds a Readiness app that scores recovery from 1-10 using HRV data. Paired with a redesigned Apple Health app in iOS 27 that presents stats more clearly, these updates are prompting at least one longtime WHOOP user to consider returning to Apple's ecosystem.
A new round of weekend discounts on Apple products includes up to $100 off AirPods Max 2 and $50 off AirPods Pro 3, alongside price cuts on Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. Pre-order savings have also returned for the new M6 Mac mini and Mac Studio, plus $150 reductions on M5 MacBook Air models and other accessories like AirTag 2 and MagSafe battery packs.
The Quantified Scientist's Rob ter Horst compared the Apple Watch Series 12's redesigned heart rate sensor against a Polar H10 chest strap across cycling, running, and weightlifting. He found near-perfect correlation during cycling, strong results while running, and solid but slightly weaker accuracy during weightlifting, an exercise notoriously difficult for wrist sensors to track.
WIRED's testing of the Apple Watch Ultra 4 found it shares nearly all core health and safety features with the new Series 12, thanks to the same Health Sensing System and S11 chip powering both devices. The Ultra 4 retains its multiday battery, Action button, and satellite messaging as its main distinctions, but pricing stays at $799 with no new case finishes this generation.
With iPhone 18 Pro units now arriving to customers, retailers are running discounts across new cases, chargers, and cables alongside an existing $50 markdown on AirPods Pro 3. Amazon is also offering pre-order savings on the upcoming M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini lineup, plus a $320 cut on the entry 24GB M5 MacBook Pro.