The possibility of ``digital crown being abolished'' on Apple Watch (Forbes JAPAN) - Yahoo! News

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When the Apple Watch launched in 2015, one of the most eye-catching innovations was the Digital Crown. The Digital Crown has been updated several times over the years, but a new patent from Apple suggests a big change. The next Apple Watch is rumored to have a sturdier, sportier design, and the filed patent fits that bill. According to Patently Apple, which reports information about Apple's patents, the Digital Crown could be replaced with an optical sensor. There are many possible reasons behind Apple considering changing the Digital Crown that users are accustomed to. First, the Digital Crown takes up a lot of space inside and outside the housing, so removing this part would allow you to install other sensors or increase battery size. The patent document also points out that the Digital Crown could be damaged if the Apple Watch is dropped. If the next Apple Watch is going to be sturdier, it will certainly need to change the Digital Crown. If the Digital Crown is replaced with an optical sensor, other sensors such as a fingerprint sensor may be installed. If the Apple Watch has Touch ID, it will be even more convenient. The Digital Crown has changed a lot since the original model and now has haptic feedback. Also, recently, the design has been changed to include a sensor that measures the electrocardiogram using the digital crown. The patent filed by Apple this time aims to replace the Digital Crown system with an optical sensor. Optical sensors can recognize and respond to gestures even when the user isn't touching the Apple Watch. An image of the new Apple Watch in the patent documents shows that the optical sensor sits in the same position as the digital crown, but instead of sticking out like it does today, it sits flush with the rest of the watch. .

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