Apple Watch Has Hidden Diagnostic Port That Could Be Used For Future Smart Bands

Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch:

The port has a 6-dot brass contact array inside the groove for the ‘bottom’ strap connector slot. Several sources have confirmed its existence and placement to me. It is very similar to the connector for the Lightning connector in iPhones, as that connector currently only uses 6 of its 8 available pins. Apple recently began opening up the Lightning port for use by third parties. A source says that this port is currently for diagnostic purposes only — but that there is nothing preventing it from being a connection port for future accessories.

I’ve been wondering about that, particularly in the context of Apple Watch Bands. While Panzarino says that smart Bands will not be a part of the first generation Apple Watch, it’s interesting to speculate about where Apple could go with these connectors. Perhaps smartBands that do a better job of reading biometric information are in the works? No matter how good that heart rate sensor is, more data points are always better.

Update: 9to5Mac is reporting that while the port is there for diagnostic purposes, it “will not be included on the product shipping to customers.” Bummer. Although I suppose this means there’s very little chance of Apple locking down Apple Watch to work with “official” Bands only.