The editors of AppleInsider drew attention to a new patent that Apple received in the USA. It describes a wearable device with the ability to identify straps. Simply put, this is an Apple Watch that will be able to understand when the user changed the bracelet — and to which one.
This information will allow the watch to perform different actions depending on the accessory. The patent describes examples:
For example, an electronic device can launch an application, open a website, start a timer, display a message, issue a warning, exchange data with another device and/or perform other functions.
In addition to the ability to automatically turn on the "In the Theater" mode when you put on your favorite costume bracelet, Apple Watch will also be able to record activity broken down by different bracelets. This activity includes dates and times, duration of wearing, locations visited, physical activity, biometrics, and even weather conditions.
Apple also offered a scanning method: these are QR codes or other matrix codes on the bracelet, which can be considered as the watch itself. You won't need a camera for this: instead, the watch will simply shine on the code and read a pattern reflecting waves of a certain length.
It is important to remember that patents are just a way for companies to stake out technologies that they may not implement for many years (or not use at all — at least in the form described). Perhaps in the future we will indeed see an Apple Watch with the ability to identify straps, but it may take many years before that.
