Masimo — the company that got the Apple Watch banned — has unveiled its new smartwatch
Masimo — the company that got the Apple Watch banned — has unveiled its new smartwatch
The Masimo Freedom has all the tech Apple can't use
- 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.
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
Charging $999 for a watch is the next idea Apple will steal from them.
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
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.
Copyright and patent laws need to die.
Only idiots think that work wouldn't get done without them.
$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.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.
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.
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.
You should take a look at Withings. Uou have to like the analog retro look, but it has all thoses features (including ECG).
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.
ESH
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.
I mean as long as it's apple and not some small company or individual, they can extort away.
That's trademarks, not patents (although in rare cases "implicit licensing" can be a thing if you don't act on known infringement)
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.
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
I enjoy my $26 watch
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?
I have around 12 watches. Only 2 of them cost more than $200 and both of those were gifts. I've never had the desire to have a smart watch let alone one that costs $1,000 but I can see the value in having a device that can measure certain parameters for medical reasons.
No
Not three-fiddly?
🤣🤣
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.
Wear it on your ankle and make up a cool story about your criminal past.
Ha ha ha ha ha!