Despite recent reports, Major League Baseball has not banned the Apple Watch.
When Kansas City Royals Manager Ned Yost was ejected from Tuesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, following queries from league officials about the Apple Watch he has been wearing during games, many were were quick to speculate that the league had banned the wearable.
But it appears the two incidents are unrelated as Major League Baseball does not actually ban the device. (Yost was removed from the game in the 11th inning for arguing with the umpire.)
[seealso URL= "http://sale-online.click/2015/07/21/apple-watch-sales-analysis/"]
Yost has been sporting an Apple Watch in the Royals dugout for the last few weeks, after receiving the wearable as a gift from the league following the All Star game.
@McCulloughStar why is Ned Yost wearing an Apple Watch on the bench pic.twitter.com/4abxzyuXiR— Productive Outs (@ProductiveOuts) August 17, 2015
It seems baseball officials also took note of Yost's recent accessory choice and contacted the Kansas City Manger to inquire about it. It was a "routine call," an MLB spokesperson told Mashable, who confirmed that the league does not have a ban on Apple Watches in the dugout.
The league has banned smartphones in the dugout for sometime, due to concerns about cheating. The officials who contacted Yost were checking that he wan't using his Apple Watch to access data, which could give him and the Royals an unfair advantage.
Kansas City Star reporter Andy McCullough reported Yost assured the officials that the watch was not tethered to his iPhone at the time, which makes the Apple Watch no different than any other watch.
MLB does not allow the usage of cell phones in the dugout. Yost assured them that "it's just a clock."— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 18, 2015
In those dumb Tweets earlier about Ned Yost's watch, I should have been more clear: He is not banned from wearing the Watch. (1/2)— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 19, 2015
MLB just wanted to make sure he wasn't using the Watch to access data during games. Yost assured them he is not. (2/2)— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 19, 2015
But while Apple Watches are safe for now, Major League Baseball may soon need to rethink its approach to Apple's wearable. As Yost correctly pointed out, an Apple Watch without an accompanying iPhone nearby is, essentially, just a clock with a touch screen. That's because the smartwatch relies heavily on its bluetooth connection with the iPhone in order to use data.
But the Apple Watch is still a really new device and many onlookers have long suspected that the Apple Watch's dependence on iPhone could greatly decrease in future versions. In fact, recent reports have suggested Apple is very interested in improving the Apple Watch's Wi-Fi receiver, which could greatly expand the watch's capabilities independent of iPhones.
Of course, it's too soon to predict exactly what changes Apple will make to the second version of the Apple Watch, but it certainly makes sense that the company would want to position the wearable as more of an independent device, rather than an extension of your iPhone. In which case, the MLB and other sports leagues may need to reevaluate their stance.
Updated Wednesday, August 19, at 2:40 p.m PT with comments from an MLB spokesperson and to clarify that Yost did not receive the call about his Apple Watch during Tuesday night's game.