Apple will introduce the "sleep apnea symptom detection alert" in Korea for the first time through the Apple Watch 11 series, which enhances sleep management features.
According to the industry on the 22nd, Apple plans to roll out an update within this month that will detect when a user shows symptoms of apnea during sleep and provide an alert. The feature was first introduced in last year's Watch 10 series, but in Korea it is known to be applied starting this year after consultation procedures with health authorities.
Apple emphasized that the powerful sensors built into the Watch 11 series can precisely capture data such as heart rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate during sleep. It also said the "sleep score" system that quantifies sleep quality and the priority algorithm that helps achieve optimal sleep are designed based on the latest guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), and the World Sleep Society (WSS). The algorithm was developed and verified using more than 5 million nights of sleep data.
Beyond sleep management features, a function to estimate ovulation day and menstrual cycles based on temperature measurement has been added, and "Ion-X" glass is applied to the front of the Watch, roughly doubling scratch resistance compared with the previous model. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 series uses "Ceramic Shield 2" on the front glass, tripling scratch resistance.
The iPhone 17 series features a 15.9-centimeter (6.3-inch) Super Retina XDR display and supports a new lock screen effect that renders subjects and backgrounds in three-dimensional layers. The front camera uses a square sensor that is twice as large, enabling automatic portrait-landscape switching depending on the subject, and it adds a function that captures both the subject and the shooter simultaneously when recording video. Notably, the iPhone 17 Pro adopts a "vapor chamber" for the first time to control heat, enabling efficient thermal management during high-end gaming or artificial intelligence (AI) tasks. However, the real-time interpretation service of the AI feature "Apple Intelligence" does not support Korean yet.
Apple is also continuing its premium strategy by unveiling a special Hermès collection to mark the 10th anniversary of the Watch's collaboration with the French luxury brand Hermès.