In the name of every medical professional out there:
Fuck Masimo. You piece of shit garbage company.
Masimo does strategically patent troll other companies to keep their monopoly on oxygen saturation technology, deliver a subpar product that is very likely designed with planned obsolescence (which actively endangers patients). It's an absolute shit show.
Did they sue Samsung? My Galaxy Watch has an O2 sensor.
It's more about the medical field - we use more precise equipment than can measure a bit more. And very likely Samsung has to pay somone even for the smartwatch version.
Charging $999 for a watch is the next idea Apple will steal from them.
The Apple Watch Ultra already costs that much, doesn't it?
Really? That's insane.
It isn’t even an official price.
Price is for United States only and is subject to change based on final design, specifications, and features.
Well, that definitely means the price will go up then.
I feel like they’d have made more money by licensing their patent to Apple rather than trying to sell a watch for a ridiculous $999 price tag. I’m not saying they were wrong for their patent lawsuit, and it’s nice to see that small companies can still win, but I just don’t see this early product getting enough sales for them to profit.
I might be mistaken, but I think Apple started with a licensing deal and then walked back on it?
Googled and found this
Ahh, fair enough. Missed that bit
Nobody is buying this and I don't think they are trying very hard to sell it either. Notice that this pricing is only in the U.S. This seems like a ploy to bolster their case for damages and/or royalties in a settlement. Or maybe just part of their patent defense strategy. This company is primarily in medical tech. Even if they aren't so interested in the consumer market, they have to protect their patent or someone in a market they do care about will get away with it too. I would assume it strengthens their case if they can demonstrate material damages in a market they participate in. So quickly unveil a prototype, price it so there's little to no demand, don't bother manufacturing a product nobody wants, win the case, cancel the product.
Not a fan of Apple but the number of people who would benefit from being able to monitor blood oxygenation is more meaningful to me than Masimo's ability to sell thousand dollar smartwatches with its patent technology. Would be great if somehow this patent was bought out and made public domain so people outside the upper middle class could have an affordable way to track their vitals.
Apple can easily pay to license the technology and utilise it, and has had multiple chances to over the years at reasonable prices.
This result is only because Apple is run by some absolute morons who were happy to try and steal the tech but got caught with their pants down.
As for making it available to upper middle class, there's plenty of devices out there already for monitoring blood oxygenation for under $100.
Apple is run by some absolute morons who were happy to try and steal the tech
Xerox PARC intensifies
If you look at almost everything "iconic" that Apple has ever done they have "borrowed" or outright stolen from others. This is entirely on brand for Apple. They just ran up against someone who was willing to push back.
Would be great if somehow this patent was bought out and made public domain so people outside the upper middle class could have an affordable way to track their vitals.
Apple is a strange choice as a champion for that. Their devices always have been notoriously overpriced.
Their devices always have been notoriously overpriced.
I disagree. They don’t offer a low-end option, but their devices are fairly priced for what you get. People keep claiming they are overpriced but when you ask them for a cheaper alternative they always respond with something not even remotely comparable.
I can't relate to the value you place in them. You couldn't pay me to use Apple software.
With Windows or Linux, I spend a lot of my time operating the computer. On macOS I just spend my time on the tasks I was working on. The nice thing about Apple’s software is that it gets out of the way so you can focus on what actually matters.
That's only true if the Apple way works for you. If not it keeps getting in the way in infuriating ways.
I once bought an apple laptop, it lasted a couple months before I ran back to the comfort and productivity of Linux and kde.
This can be absolutely true the other way around too, depending on how proficient you are, and what you are used to or find intuitive. For me, macOS is extremely unintuitive, for example, while my fully personalized Linux setup allows me to do what I want. It is very subjective, ultimately.
Apple also holds over 95,500 patents. I will never get why some people defend this crazy company. They make underperforming computers and sell them for wayyy over their value.
$999
I have no use for a HR smart watch but at this price it's not even a possibility. Hundreds of dollars is acceptable but this is a hard no for me. My Casio G-Shock GBD 200 + GadgetBridge has all the features I want from a smart watch and costs about $150.
However, I will say kudos to Masimo for sticking it to Apple. Not many people can go against a giant like that and win.
That is more than the last two phones I've bought put together, Holy Balls. No way am I spending a grand on a smart watch.
The G shock sounds tempting.
When you're defending patents you have to demonstrate you're developing your own products or licensing them and so you can sue for damages. At this price point this "prototype" is just a loophole so they can extort Apple.
You make it sound like they're being assholes to Apple when in reality, Apple is the bad guy here. Apple was going to license the technology but instead tried to hire all the engineers and people who developed it and then make their own version in house. Genuinely just thought they could steal the tech and then out lawyer the smaller company.
In this case Apple clearly is in the wrong and is now fucking customers over because of its shitty practices.
I mean as long as it's apple and not some small company or individual, they can extort away.
For 999usd, they can get fucked
A Fitbit costing less than 200 can do most of these things. Granted you need a Google account, but at least you don't need a fucking loan to get one.
Pebble - $99
Pebble Steel - $149
Now Pebble is gone and Masimo is selling a $999 smartwatch.
Apple's cheapest watch is $249.
All I want is a watch like the Pebble again. I don't need color or all this extra health stuff.
Which is odd because I do want the health stuff, but don't want the rest of that stuff that is useless to me. I don't need the texting, music, weather, or the phone stuff - my smart phone still needs to be in bluetooth range for it to work anyway.
But I do value the ability to take a pulse, blood pressure, and count steps. It has increased my self-awareness and improved my health consciousness - small changes can make big differences. And for $40US, I found a decent watch that actually works pretty well.
My galaxy watch I bought many years ago has this same feature, is cheaper, and looks amazing. I got the "classic" model with the turning frame. It's an outstanding watch even to this day. No lag, great battery, and very bright even in sunlight.
No
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