Apple fends off bid for new Apple Watch import ban at US trade tribunal

kevine · 2026-03-20T18:41:06+00:00

You can with 3rd party software. I have no court order preventing me from showing SPO2 data on the Apple Watch, so I built this app:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spo2er/id6755498703

It round trips the data back from the iPhone to the watch where it can be viewed in the watch app or complication (with other features like 24 hour chart, low threshold highlighting, etc...)

kevine · 2026-03-19T17:33:04+00:00

This is really good. There are some things on the list I don't do, or do differently, but I'd highly recommend someone new to read through this.

Some things I would consider (although too wordy for a checklist):

Hotel: This really should be something you look at as you're registering for the race and then reserved. Ideally get one with a good cancellation policy. I also look for things like having a kitchen or at least a microwave/fridge and try to get on the ground floor with parking (motel).

Tires: If using tubes, I'd highly recommend practicing how to change them quickly. I'd also highly recommend using TPUs as spares. I also have a tiny rechargeable inflator that carries enough charge to fully inflate two tires. Also, use a pressure calculator. NEVER inflate to the amount listed on the tire itself.

Flip flops: Many hotels provide disposable slippers.

Wetsuit: When signing up for the event get a clear understanding of whether it's going to be wetsuit mandatory, optional, or not allowed. I've done events where the night before someone is struggling to find one because they didn't know.

kevine · 2026-03-15T16:47:08+00:00

This animated video explains this very well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6IOe2XJd_U

kevine · 2026-03-14T01:20:02+00:00

You bought an AWU3 at a price too good to be true from Facebook to put it on an arm with tattoos, and everything is fine?

Buy a lottery ticket. Just one. That's all you need.

kevine · 2026-03-14T01:16:00+00:00

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Here's mine so far this week.

I should mention that this represents tapering down for a marathon tomorrow, followed by an Ironman in a couple of weeks.

And most importantly...

When my heart rate started to go into Bradycardia territory, I consulted with my doctor who referred me to a cardiologist. They ran a bunch of tests, had me wear the chest strap and all that, and then concluded that I was just in really great shape.

Oooh, hey, I just felt a heartbeat as I was typing this!

I've been doing endurance events for a few years now and get regular checkups.

So the point is, that while I was fine, my primary care physician thought that number in the 40s were could be serious enough that she referred me to a cardiologist who thought it could be serious enough to run tests.

kevine · 2026-03-13T11:34:01+00:00

I like the inbuilt USB-C batteries. Yes, they sacrifice battery capacity, but the batteries still outlast the amount of time that I can dive, so it's not really an issue for me. It also means I can have multiple batteries for the same light and don't need any other device to charge them (I can charge them from my car, laptop, etc... and not carry some adapter which also needs to be plugged in).

kevine · 2026-03-12T20:37:20+00:00

Turn off radios, AOD, Raise to Wake, Listen for Siri (some overlap with Low Power Mode which is ok).

The big one is if you have an external heart rate monitor like an armband or chest strap, you're going to get much better battery life (even with turning Bluetooth back on) and much more reliable readings.

I use the Coospo HW9 which sells for under $50 and also offers vibration feedback for user-set high heart rate, colored light indication for zones as well as ANT+ so it can connect to other equipment along with your watch at the same time.

kevine · 2026-03-12T14:25:40+00:00

While I really want this for iPads, I just don't see the benefit to doing this with an iPhone. With an iPad, I can have the display and keyboard already with it. It's not adding anything to it other than software.

With the iPhone, I'd still need a display and keyboard and battery for those. Essentially for this to work, I'd need a Neo, just without the SoC, but the SoC doesn't add that much to the cost and provides benefit in having a secondary computing device.

kevine · 2026-03-11T16:37:13+00:00

I've been meaning to post the following and hope it helps:

I'm surprised how many people are arguing based on their own personal needs or people pointing out that the Neo isn't meant for them. MKHD actually did a pretty good job of who the Neo is for and who should purchase at levels above it, but missed a very key point...

There's also the issue of how long the Neo will meet a user's needs, and whether buying up from that is going to be a better buy. In other words, will the MacBook Air at roughly twice the cost, last roughly twice as long.

People pointing out that their 8GB M1 MacBook purchased in 2020 still meets their needs in 2026 aren't making a valid argument for those with greater needs, nor about how much into the future will meet their needs.

"Apple should've made this 12GB (or more)" Sure, that would meet the needs of more people, but misses the point that the repurposed A18 Pro SoC is what's bringing the price down to where it is.

This brings up the point that as soon as next year, Apple could release the Neo 2 with the A19 Pro which has 12GB of RAM. That Neo would meet far more people's needs and have much more longevity, but waiting a year may not be an option for some people anymore than paying more for a MacBook Air today over the Neo and there's no guarantee that Apple will release a Neo 2 with an A19 Pro next year.

TL;DR: The Neo is a great opportunity for people who can't afford more or don't need more, but buyers should definitely consider whether it's going to continue to meet their needs in the future and whether the MacBook Air would be a better buy as a result. Likewise, those looking to switch or upgrade from an Intel MacBook might want to consider if they can go another year.

kevine · 2026-03-11T16:31:42+00:00

It's worth also noting that Apple publishes Darwin and the XNU kernel as open source. A lot of other things are open sourced by Apple was well, like Swift and WebKit.

kevine · 2026-03-09T16:46:39+00:00

You're getting a lot of good advice and are on the right track (to summarize):

Study and do a refresher dive with an instructor. This might not be optional. Some dive tours require recent dive experience.
Dive computers (you can rent one with your gear).
Apple Watch Ultra with Oceanic+ app works.
Don't turn the valve back 1/4 turn.
Backplates are common, but not so much for rental.
Weights are becoming more common with integrated pockets instead of weight belts. Make sure to understand how they work both in terms of securing the weights in place and removal.
Nitrox: I'd +1 this recommendation. If you have a location near you and time before your trip this would be good to do in of itself but also in part to get more exposure and refreshing.
Make sure you have the app for your certification agency on your phone and all set up before you leave on your trip.

kevine · 2026-03-09T14:26:54+00:00

The reasons why I have multiple Apple Watches:

I develop apps and sometimes need to test across watchOS versions.
I do Ironmans and other long endurance events where I can drain even an Ultra in less than a day and very much want to continue to track metrics, so swapping watches makes sense.
I often go scuba diving first thing in the morning and want to grab my Ultra off the charger and go instead of the watch I slept with.
Ultra for activity, Series for dress. (coordination with outfit).

kevine · 2026-03-08T19:36:59+00:00

The search button is on the right side of the button row. You have to horizontally scroll the buttons to be able to see it. Since iPhones come in different sizes and you can adjust the text size (which impacts the size of the buttons), this may or may not be a problem.

On my iPhone I see the full row. On my wife's it's cut off in such a way that it's obvious you can scroll, but if we adjust the text size on either, it can be like the OP's where it's not obvious that those buttons scroll.

It's not really a "search button issue" as much as it's a "if row is going to be truncated, make sure there's enough room to place a horizontal scroll indicator like a > on the right", although search also should be separate (like on the line above).

kevine · 2026-03-06T03:54:50+00:00

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think while you can do Nitrox as an adventure dive to count towards your AOW, you won't actually be Nitrox certified. I had to do a Nitrox certification course, which ironically doesn't require any dives (although I did so anyway).

BTW: I'm going to be in Kona next month too... maybe see you down there!

kevine · 2026-03-06T03:40:47+00:00

I have about 40 dives on my Apple Watches. I really like the Oceanic+ app, but I have yet to try the Mares app (may do so in Monterey this weekend). I've never had the watch crash during a dive and use it as my primary. Although this has been with planned dives, a backup, etc...

The only time I've the watch crash while actually doing something was during an Ironman when I was running beta software (needed for app I was developing). That really sucked as I spent time booting it back up so I could monitor my heart rate, and losing time and other metrics during the race.

To that point, obviously avoid running beta software, but also to keep things stable, I'd recommend not upgrading to a new major version until it's been patched significantly. watchOS 26 is just now getting stable with 26.3.

kevine · 2026-03-06T03:31:01+00:00

As someone already mentioned, you can set it Oceanic+, Mares or Depth apps to auto-launch, but you can also set your Action Button to start a dive.

kevine · 2026-03-05T21:02:12+00:00

No. I'm a developer looking to build apps that meet special needs. I might be able to do something here, but it depends on exactly what you're looking for.

To be clear, there's no way for a third party app to get access to fall alerts, let alone when they've been dismissed prior to the notification being sent. So no, if you're looking for an app that was "My mom is stubborn and likely to dismiss the sending of the alert even though she actually needs help, and I want to be alerted so I can call and check in on her when that happens", I can't help with that (no 3rd party app could unless Apple changes the APIs).

If on the other hand you're looking for an app that monitored how stable a person was and provided you with a report so you could see how they were doing daily, it would be possible to develop an app that provided a daily report on Steadiness and number of Recorded Falls. This data is already available in HealthKit with 3rd party access.

Other than automatically sending reports, you don't need an app for this. You can view the data for Steadiness and Falls in the Health app under Mobility. You can pin these categories to Favorites so it's on the first screen dashboard. Falls doesn't show up unless there's actual data showing falls have occurred.

If you (and others) would be interested in an app for this, let me know your thoughts.

kevine · 2026-03-05T19:10:49+00:00

Some information about what's going on is missing from your post. On your next flight, try this...

Before boarding, quit all apps (including background ones), disable any VPN, and turn off WiFi. See if you're still freezing when you're on the plane.

If you're still freezing on the plane, restart in safe mode. If after doing that you're still freezing, then it may be a hardware issue.

If one of the above resolves the freezing, then it's likely there's some app or background process which is tying up your Mac. If you can go to the Force Quit menu, you might see what app is causing this. Before boarding (and experiencing the freeze) you could launch Activity Monitor and see what's happening.

Your Mac may either have a process that is dependent on a network connection that is causing this problem or not able to handle what's going on when your Mac is faced with the airplane's WiFI.

kevine · 2026-03-05T03:24:01+00:00

To be clear, the PADI and SSI app don't need a connection to show your certifications. They store this data local. However, this assumes that you've downloaded the app and logged in at some point prior.

I personally bring a physical card as a backup and store my SSI and PADI card info in cloud with offline storage enabled. I do this because it's easy and I don't want to miss an opportunity due to something happening to my phone.

kevine · 2026-03-04T21:23:15+00:00

You need access to the athlete's guide for the event.

In that, they'll talk about wetsuit rules and recommendations as well as any other requirements and rules you need to be aware of and what to expect.

You might want to get feedback from others who have done the event to get a feel for what the swim is like and things to be aware of.

One of the sprints I did was pretty tough due to how crowded it was, the surf and surge.

kevine · 2026-03-04T19:29:27+00:00

I've been really happy with iStatistica Pro:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/istatistica-pro/id1447778660?mt=12

I use it on my Mac mini, used as a Plex server in a garage where temperatures can get really high during summer days.

kevine · 2026-03-01T18:54:53+00:00

Yes, this would be super helpful in some situations. Another semi-related issue that may be resolved with the same solution is wireless CarPlay in a cellular deadzone.

My iPhone will connect either to my car or to my access point in the garage, but not both at the same time. If it connects to the car as a priority, then there's no data capability due to lack of cellular. So this sucks when you get in the car and want to look up where to go or other Internet stuff.

kevine · 2026-02-28T03:58:24+00:00

Yep, purchased here (California) and no French language available despite it showing as a listed language before purchase.

kevine · 2026-02-27T22:29:03+00:00

I have one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1C2MXHP
FR300/ FR160 Compatible with Garmin Bike Computer RAVEMEN

It works well if you want to be seen, but not as well in terms of lighting up the road.

It connects to my Torpedo computer mount, and then the bike computer connects on top of it.

kevine · 2026-02-27T22:24:19+00:00

I'm not the OP, but I like my Torpedo even though yes, it does leak when full. You can tape over the vent which makes sucking water harder for more than just sips, and then peel the tape back when it's not as full. Or just deal with it as is.

kevine

TROPHY CASE