An Apple patent that was recently made available to the public shows that the company may be developing a replacement for the Digital Crown on the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8.
The Digital Crown is the dial on the side of the Apple Watches that allows for navigation. It is a feature on every Apple Watch. We can't imagine life without it.
The Digital Crown would be replaced by an optical sensor. The US Patent and Trademark Office has a credit.
The patent shows blueprints for optical sensors on the side of the watch, which would allow for gesture controls instead of physical contact. The user could use their fingers to move through navigation on the screen by using the sensor instead of the screen.
Users would use the sensor on the right edge instead of rotating the Digital Crown. The US Patent and Trademark Office has a credit.
The Digital Crown's optical sensor appears to be flatter than the existing one, which could be why the Apple Watch Series 7 was rumored to have a flat-edge design. The optical sensor would take up less space, which would allow for features like a bigger battery or additional health monitoring sensors.
Apple files a lot of patents that never seem to see the light of day, so this is only based on a patent filing. The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to be available in September of 2022. The thought of losing the Digital Crown has us shaking. Some of us still have a physical navigation controller.
