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Rumored 'Healthbook' App for iOS 8 Suggests Significant Health Component to iWatch

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple is developing a new app expected to be released alongside iOS 8 that collects and organizes information and data points related to the users health, including fitness statistics from the new M7 processor in the iPhone 5s, and possibly other data collected from a new wearable product, reports 9to5Mac.

The app, reportedly called Healthbook, will be a preinstalled app that can track data points including a user's blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and potentially other statistics like glucose levels. It could also remind users to take medications at certain times during the day.
The "Healthbook" application is said to take multiple user interface cues from Apple's own Passbook app, which is software for storing loyalty cards, coupons, and other materials normally stored in physical wallets.

The new health and fitness application's interface is a stack of cards that can be easily swiped between. Each card represents a different fitness or health data point. The prototype logo for "Healthbook" is similar to Passbook's icon, but it is adorned with graphics representing vital signs.
Click to expand...
9to5Mac also reports that Apple is designing iOS 8 with the iWatch in mind, saying that sources suggest the iWatch and iPhone will be "heavily reliant" on each other for health tracking. The iWatch will also include some mapping abilities as well.

The site suggests that the iWatch will include the ability to measure statistics that the Healthbook app can measure -- including glucose levels and heart rate -- though nothing concrete is known. It does say that sources suggest Apple has been able to combine several different health sensors into one chipset in order to make them all smaller.

Apple is also working on significant new features for its Maps app, including transit directions, though that feature still has significant amounts of work to be done and is not a "lock" to be included in iOS 8, claims the site.

The New York Times reported earlier today that several Apple executives met with the FDA last month to discuss mobile medical applications. One expert said the meeting could be "to get the lay of the land for regulatory pathways with medical devices and apps" or "that Apple has been trying to push something through the F.D.A. for a while and they've had hangups."

Apple has made a number of health-related hires in the past year, including employees with expertise in health sensors and other mobile health devices.

iOS 8 is expected to be previewed at WWDC in June, while the iWatch -- which 9to5Mac says is "well into development" -- and new models of the iPhone are expected in the second half of the year.

Article Link: Rumored 'Healthbook' App for iOS 8 Suggests Significant Health Component to iWatch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/31/healthbook-app-ios-8/
Sky Blue

Sky Blue

Guest
Jan 8, 2005
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I can imagine a lot of people not really into health trackers being turned off by iWatch, but it sounds really good to me.
 
luckydcxx

luckydcxx

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2013
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hmmm i don't think they will unveil iOS 8 until the iwatch is ready, unless they will launch the iwatch at WWDC this year ... fingers crossed.
 
Tankmaze

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
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Ooo i'm loving this

The app, reportedly called Healthbook, will be a preinstalled app that can track data points including a user's blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and potentially other statistics like glucose levels. It could also remind users to take medications at certain times during the day.
Click to expand...

When you're young like teens or 20s, people usually don't monitor their health. but when you're 30+ you started to watch what you're eating. I think this will do well in 30+ age demographic.
 
KylePowers

KylePowers

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Mar 5, 2011
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Would love to get readings on my blood pressure, heart rate, etc. whilst working out. So then I can more accurately track calories burned, etc. when inputting such figures into MyFitnessPal.

... While I realize products out there already exist to do this, an iWatch would be infinitely cooler :p
 
LordQ

LordQ

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Sep 22, 2012
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Sounds exciting! I can already see me using this app a lot for my gym and crossfit records and stuff!
 
G

Gigatel

macrumors member
Aug 28, 2013
40
35
...user's blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and potentially other statistics like glucose levels
Click to expand...

I can understand these measurements for diabetics or folks with blood pressure issues, etc.

But is this really appealing to folks that don't have any real health issues? Don't get me wrong, this is all pretty cool, especially if iWatch can do all this. But as a normal, healthy adult, I see this more as a novelty than anything. Measurements are all fine and dandy but what do I need them for? Just simple health tracking?? There's already a ton of things that do this.

I can't see iWatch being geared to a niche market. So beyond this, obvious notifications, what else is gonna be used for?

We can all speculate but I anxiously await Apple's move into wearables.
 
B

brsboarder

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2004
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this is going to be a very big failure.
There is a subset of people who would care for this (Lululemon people) and its a small population.
 
Northgrove

Northgrove

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Aug 3, 2010
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I think it sounds useful, and a good idea to get to actual use cases for the iWatch. I don't think it'll be a success if it can only run existing apps and offer little more.

I often get headaches if I let my blood sugar levels drop too much by eating e.g. too many carbs in a meal, and these can be kind of tough to get rid of even if I eat better in a while. Especially if I get them at work, they can cause me to tense up and then I have a neck pain soon enough as well which will simply require NSAID's.

All this entire chain of events could be helped if I simply got an early warning. If it can catch on before my physical signs surface, that would be great and a killer feature alone.

Of course, these features would also be a new, largely untapped and major motivation to get exercise as well. :)
 
O

osx11

macrumors 6502a
Jan 16, 2011
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0
luckydcxx said:
hmmm i don't think they will unveil iOS 8 until the iwatch is ready, unless they will launch the iwatch at WWDC this year ... fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

except iOS won't get released at WWDC.

So we're probably looking at a Late Summer/Early Fall launch....
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Apple's increasingly serious about something health-related for sure.

But I wouldn't take this app as a specific indicator of what details some future Apple-branded wearable ("watch" or otherwise) will track: the app could simply be including support for third-party medical devices, allowing specialized uses beyond what Apple's products can do alone.
 
I

I like bananas

macrumors member
Oct 31, 2013
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0
This seems logical. You could use the get iWatch to get a simple view on your data, but if you use an iOS device (or Mac?) you get much richer experience. Maybe it will entice people who haven't got, say, an iPad or iPhone, to buy one.

A bit off-topic, but... look at the picture in the article. What do you see? iOS icons with backdrop shadows (is that what you call them?). Why were they removed in iOS 7? :confused:
 
Northgrove

Northgrove

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Aug 3, 2010
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brsboarder said:
this is going to be a very big failure.
There is a subset of people who would care for this (Lululemon people) and its a small population.
Click to expand...
Huh? I care about my health, besides my thoughts above. Do you not care about your health? I think this seems quite helpful. Certainly more so than Passbooks, Stock Tickers, and Newsstands.
 
B

BillyMatt87

macrumors 6502a
Dec 23, 2013
636
823
Getting a bit ahead?

I think Apple should focus on repairing and refining the iOS UI since it is extremely broken in iOS 7. Yes, they need to fix the icons, blinding whitespace, bugs, glitches, etc. but honestly until they can fix what what was broken, they should hold off on major new features and work on making the stock apps more efficient and usable again (especially the music app).

The healthbook app sounds promising and cool, don't get me wrong but there's a lot else they need to work on before they can move iOS on to bigger and better things.

I really hope Jony Ive has grown as a UI designer and I want iOS 8 to be infinitely better than the disaster that was 7. Hopefully Ive doesn't let iOS grow stale (7 already feels stale tbh) like Forstall did and have the software change and develop along with his hardware designs.
 
B

brsboarder

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2004
763
15
Northgrove said:
Huh? I care about my health, besides my thoughts above. Do you not care about your health? I think this seems quite helpful. Certainly more so than Passbooks, Stock Tickers, and Newsstands.
Click to expand...

If you cared about your health you'd exercise. Don't need a $200 watch to help you with this. Yes, those things are useless, but they don't increase the cost of the product. Myfitnesspal or whatever its called works perfectly for most people.
 
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