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 Owners of Apple Watch - including this reporter, who bought a 42mm
version with stainless steel case and black classic buckle for
A$1,029 ($822) - have found that their inked skin confuses the
sensors on the underside of the device.
Users of the watch, which went on sale last week, took to social
media on Thursday under the hashtag #tattoogate to air their
frustration with the flaw from Apple's renowned design house.
One anonymous user on Reddit, an entertainment, social networking,
and user-generated news website, said the device's locking
mechanism, which should disengage when the watch detects it is being
worn, failed to work on decorated skin.
"My hand isn't tattooed and the Watch stayed unlocked. Once I put it
back on the area that is tattooed with black ink, the watch would
automatically lock again," the user wrote.
This Reuters reporter, who has a black tattoo on his left arm, also
found that the watch locks on tattooed skin and does not deliver the
soft pings that alert a user to incoming messages. The heart rate
readings were also significantly different on the tattooed and
untattooed wrists.
An Apple support article says the watch uses green LED lights paired
with light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood
flowing through the wrist and calculate the frequency of heart
beats.
A website support page from the company says tattoos can interfere
with readings from the heart rate monitor, but does not mention
interference with other functions.
"Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos,
can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern, and
saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making
it difficult to get reliable readings," it said.
A spokesman for Apple in Sydney declined to comment on Thursday, but
three Apple employees at its flagship Sydney store, including a
senior advisor from its tech support line, said they were unaware of
any issue.
"To be honest, you're my first caller about the Apple Watch at all,"
the senior advisor told Reuters.
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The tattoo issue follows a report in the Wall Street Journal on
Wednesday that some taptic engines, which produce the sensation of
being tapped on the wrist, started to break down over time, a flaw
that was slowing the rollout of the item.
The report said the problem had been detected in some of the parts
supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings Inc <2018.HK>, based in
Shenzhen, China. Shares in AAC Technologies dropped 8 percent on
Thursday morning after the report. The company did not respond to
requests for comment.
A Taipei-based technology analyst, who is in regular contact with
AAC, said he was not aware of the tattoo problem, but did not expect
it would have a significant impact on production.
"We have been hearing suppliers encountering some bottleneck issues
for Apple Watch’s production such as problems with its displays,
haptics or assembly," he told Reuters, adding that those issues were
quite common for new products.
($1 = 1.2517 Australian dollars)
(Additional reporting by Yimou Lee in Teipei; Editing by Will
Waterman)
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