In 2019, Apple CEO, Tim Cook declared Apple’s involvement in the health care field their greatest accomplishment. This outlook is a perpetuation of the intensified pressure on the health market that commenced in 2015 with the Apple Watch. The wearable fitness tracker that Apple principally exhibited as “notifications on your wrist,” has pivoted into one of their foremost health-related commodities.
Today, the Apple Watch is a personal physician, as some models boast headlining features such as Fall Detection, Heart Rate Tracking, ECG Scans, and now a Blood Oxygen Tracker. Once generated, each reading appropriately stores itself in Apple’s first-party Health app. For Apple, this trajectory towards health emphasized line of products is nothing new.
In 2015, Apple launched ResearchKit, a medical software where participants can readily register for medical studies. This spotlight on medical technology was additionally amplified in 2018 when Apple collaborated with Stanford for the Apple Heart Study. The preliminary study that intended on detecting irregular heart rhythms through an Apple Watch had over 400 thousand individuals register in 117 days. Normally, a medical examination with such a high volume of parties involved takes several years to conclude.
For Apple, they yearn that in due course everyone will be able to promptly link their iPhones to their medical providers. Today, Apple partners with health providers, such as Aetna, Penn Medicine, Dignity Health, and Cedars-Sinai, among others. Users of these services are capable of storing, sharing, and downloading all of their medical records in real-time, along with obtaining lab results instantly on their phones.
Despite not being an FDA certified company, Apple’s technical maneuvers absolved them from any required license. In particular, Apple categorizes the Apple Watch as a De Novo classification, signifying that the product is an original concept, thus not requiring any additional trials.
Moving forward, many consumers are speculating which medical focused trait will be incorporated next in their Apple merchandise. A few reputed features that Apple may include are
Apple Pay integrated for health-related bills, incorporating health-related capabilities in their AirPod lineup, and advancements of the various Apple Watch sensors.
While the reliance on our technology to support a healthy lifestyle undeniably facilitates looking after ourselves, numerous doctors have expressed qualms. Some physicians worry that having persistent access to these types of monitors could make people hypersensitive to their health.
It has become increasingly routine for patients to arrive at the doctor’s office alert over a high Apple Watch heart reading.
In 2020, despite sympathizing with these concerns, Apple instead partnered with the Singaporean Government to promote a consistently healthy lifestyle. Apple will treat registered Apple Watch users with cash prizes if they engage in a healthily life. Apple’s ongoing progress in the health business is evocative of the prosperity they’ve had in alternative markets.
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