- Masimo, the company that sued Apple over patent infringement, has unveiled its own blood oxygen monitoring smartwatch called the Masimo Freedom.
- The Masimo Freedom is a health-focused device that can track blood oxygen levels, hydration index, respiration rate, pulse rate variability, pulse rate, steps, and detect falls.
- The smartwatch is currently in prototype stage and will be available for sale later this year at a price of $999.
Archive link: https://archive.ph/aOUXX
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.
There are different types of O2 sensors.
Patent trolling Apple doesn’t seem like a winning move. Can they really sell a smartwatch without infringing on anything in Apple’s patent portfolio? The revenge will be swift and terrifying
They can license it, just like how Apple should have licensed their tech.
ThTs usually the way things work, but that didn’t happen here (obviously). We don’t know who tried to get better terms or who rejected terms
They aren’t a patent troll. This is literally their business. They are sueing apple becsuse they are violating their patent and could have or has had a negative impact on their business. This is the kind of suit patents were designed for.
Patent trolls buy up patents but produce nothing and do nothing with those parents–except for suing people to make money.
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.
Not really. Apple charges what it’s idiots will spend.
it’s idiots
goteeeeem
I mean, spellcheck does that more often than not.
If ever there was a time to not rely on autocorrect it is when you are calling people idiots
No it doesn’t, it’s $200 cheaper.
Ah - it’s $1000 CAD. That’s where I was mistaken. USD it would be about $200 cheaper like you mentioned.
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.
Wait until you hear about Rolex
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.
Hmm, that’s a new theory I haven’t heard. It sounds pretty plausible so I’ll be interested to see if it plays out like that.
I’m definitely curious about the history here, since it seems like Apple would have easily been able to offer more than they can benefit here. Who did what and when? Who tried to compromise with what and who rejected it?
From the PR side, Apple seems reasonable and has a good explanation, but clearly the court did not find their arguments convincing
I don’t know if there are sources I’m not finding, but a lot of people here are very confidently stating as facts, things I don’t see any source for so may be based on irrational hatred of a consumer products company
$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.
You were never their intended audience to begin with. If you’re going to balk at a mere $1k, you’re not the customers they want.
Yeah, you could get a really nice traditional watch for a fraction of the cost and have money left over. And it won’t be obsoleted by a company turning off their servers 5 years down the line.
Really I don’t see the point of smart watches.
This is less than some of the more feature-rich Garmin watches. That said, Garmin’s offerings are best-in-class, so they can justify it.
Garmin software, particularly their integration with third parties absolutely bloody sucks. Their hardware is amazing though.
I haven’t had an issue in the 8 years I’ve owned Garmin stuff. What apps are you having trouble with? I sync with Strava, training peaks, swim coach, humango, and probably others over the years
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.
Take a look at Withings.
I really like Garmin for this. Lots of models to choose from to find your niche (eg, they have running focused, scuba diving focused, or just looks like a regular watch with no gps). What’s cool is their ecosystem is NOT to do much smartwatch stuff. It’s all about health focus. Or maybe fitness focus I guess.
Edit: oh I reread and saw you want blood pressure. They don’t do this that I know of.
Garmin is also the only fitness tracker that isn’t just like explicitly selling your data. But then again who’s to say that won’t change tomorrow.
May I ask which watch you ended up with?
I bought a FITVII smartwatch from Amazon, (the price has gone up a bit since I ordered mine), after seeing a review of smart watches on a tech website. It was rated as their “Best Budget” -YMMV- smart watch.
A word of warning - it took over 3 months to receive the watch even though it was listed as in stock with 10pcs available. In truth I forgot about it until it showed up in the mail…
Agreed on all accounts except for weather updates. I got my watch for the health tracking and love it for it. But I have been slowly won over by the other little things that give me info about the world at a glance but don’t take me out of it. Weather and directions especially.
I always tell people I wish the watch was the smart revolution instead of the phone because it augments daily life so well while our phones so easily become a distraction (though admittedly often a welcome one).
If that’s not FOSS, then there no “Freedom” in that either.
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.
Watch 4? I got the non-classic and my battery sucks ass now. I’m looking at replacing the battery now
Yeah got a galaxy watch 2 classic years ago and it needs charging every day now, and it sometimes randomly drains the battery in like 1 hour.
But I’m honestly surprised of its longevity, it outlasted 2 phones
Hell, my Watch 4 Classic needs to be charged daily as well, but I think it’s mostly because I have it continuously monitoring my heart rate + stress levels and I use the always on display setting extensively cause I want my watch to look like a watch.
I enjoy my $26 watch
I enjoy my $0 watch (I don’t have one)
I use to not wear one but I got myself a PineTime and it is very handy for my current job which revolves heavily around time.
The Pinetime is an awesome watch. Basic functionality, but…way more than you’d think for the price and the simple UI. It’s crazy what that thing can do.
I pretty much just use it for a watch and phone notifications. There are games on it that I don’t play, the HR monitor isn’t that great though. A great price for a fun little open source watch.
I still have my teeth.
Mine also cost $0 (I got it from my community’s free page)
I work in many dusty, gritty places, machine shops included. I love my $60 watch, it’s been to 4 continents and back for 12yrs now.
Slight chip in the edge of the crystal, some mild scratches too. I’m just happy to not contribute to the waste stream by buying one reliable item, and cherishing it even when it gets a bit beat up.
Do these kind of apple/google watches hold up? How hard is battery replacement?
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.
Fun fact; there can be more than one greedy asshole corporation.
Yes I can see how the company suing another company that has stolen its tech, stolen its high level employees and then refuses to admit any fault or issue has absolutely no base to sue on.
I agree in general with your statement, but it’s completely wrong here. There is definitely a giant greedy asshole corporation here, and with the history that Apple was going to license it from them and didn’t have an issue previously I know which one it is.
I think the case is still developping, but I hate these laws that forbid employees from working at other companies. I thate to take Apple’s side, but I don’t think hiring the engineers was wrong.
Like you accummulate knowledge at your current company, and you’re not supposed to use it ever in any job? Bullshit. Masimo could have offered their knowlesge employees better salaries stock options so they stay, at the end of this case if Masimo wins, it’s the employees that will lose.
Anyone working in a specialized field will find it hard to be hired as new companies will be afraid of the same thing here.
Do… do you seriously think poaching employees to recreate technology to the point of literally infringing on a patent is justified, while then extolling the virtues of a theoretical free market which by definition enforces competition through strict regulation?
Man capitalism really does a number on the brain
I am saying that from an employee perspective, what is my reason to support Masimo? Unless I am a suck up for corporations, why would I even support Masimo. The way I see it, the more restriction a company has on its employees (ie you are forbidden from working at a competitor with your expertise) the less power the employees have.
How is this even an argument for capitalism? Just shouting capitalism does not earn you free points. Think it through, step by step, human-gpt.
That’s trademarks, not patents (although in rare cases “implicit licensing” can be a thing if you don’t act on known infringement)
I mean as long as it’s apple and not some small company or individual, they can extort away.
No
I am very curious to see if this will be the first smartwatch that works with tattooed wrists. None of the health & security features have ever worked for me with any of the major brands.
Probably not, most of those sensors work by shining an LED light through the skin and monitoring reflection/scatter as a cheap form of photoplethysmography. Anything capable of absorbing that light, like the pigment used in tattoos, will prevent it from working correctly (at least out of the box, there may be some way to adjust for it but I do not think it would be very accurate).
An infrared sensor could work, depending on the ink type. Unfortunately those are more expensive.
Not three-fiddly?
🤣🤣
Apple need to put back the fingerprint scanner on their iPhones 💯
Ha ha ha ha ha!
