Thursday, March 28, 2024

Proprietary Dock Apple Uses to Wirelessly Troubleshoot Apple Watch Series 7 Surfaces in Regulatory Database

Share

The Apple Watch Series 7 models lack a diagnostic port under the band, which means Apple has to use another means to troubleshoot and restore Apple Watches that come in for repair.

‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ models are equipped with a module that enables 60.5GHz wireless data transfer as we discovered in FCC documents in September, with that data transfer capability designed to be used with a proprietary magnetic dock.

The dock was mentioned in one of the FCC filings, but we didn’t have a clear visual of it until now. Brazilian regulatory agency Anatel has approved the ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ models and provided photos of the dock that Apple is using internally, with the information shared by Brazilian site MacMagazine.

The ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ dock is clearly designed for diagnostics, and it has a two piece construction. An Apple Watch charging puck fits into the bottom piece, and then a second piece housing the Apple Watch itself fits over that and aligns with bolts.


Prior to the ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌, Apple included a diagnostic port on Apple Watch models, with the port hidden under the band. It’s not clear why Apple has shifted to wireless diagnostics, and it’s also not known how fast the wireless data transfer is. It likely uses USB 2.0 with speeds up to 480Mb/s.

The diagnostic port on Apple Watch Series 6 models and older
There is no word on whether the wireless data module added to the ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ could ever have a consumer-facing application, but for now, it’s for Apple’s internal use only.Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 7Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)Related Forum: Apple Watch
This article, “Proprietary Dock Apple Uses to Wirelessly Troubleshoot Apple Watch Series 7 Surfaces in Regulatory Database” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

MacRumors-All?d=6W8y8wAjSf4 MacRumors-All?d=qj6IDK7rITs

Read more

More News