HealthKit Includes Native Bluetooth Support for Some Accessories, Eliminating Need for Companion Apps

Good. I'm starting to live with app overload... if you need apps for health, passbook, home kit, etc it can really start to add up.... Oh yeah and with extensions it's cool to be able to use the multiple app UI's in say the photos app (for example), but it'd be nice not to need to have all the apps on your phone taking up space

I'm still not sure if you need apps for widgets and keyboards...

I take it then the manufacturer would need to follow the Guidelines Apple provides them for sending/receiving data?

Does that mean it should already be able to pick up devices over bluetooth?

Dave

so works with nike fuel band?

App devs won't like this. Hardware devs probably will.

Good. Most of those devices are single-function and don't need an app taking up a spot on your home screen. Plus the apps are usually junk… the market usually isn't big enough to devote real time and effort into polishing them.

Crzyrio said:

I take it then the manufacturer would need to follow the Guidelines Apple provides them for sending/receiving data?

Click to expand...

According to the article, Apple is following (not providing) standard guidelines themselves: "Apple is using official standard specs for Bluetooth LE devices from http://Bluetooth.org"

So the manufacturers should just follow the standard guidelines.

That's kind of the point, isn't it?

I kinda doubt it'll prevent them from making an app, since it'll permit them to show the datas in their own way and make computation, propose services, and have their logo on the phone/app. HealthKit will be nice to have all these datas at the same place, but companies will want to have a bit more on people phones.

Douglas B said:

According to the article, Apple is following (not providing) standard guidelines themselves: "Apple is using official standard specs for Bluetooth LE devices from http://Bluetooth.org"

So the manufacturers should just follow the standard guidelines.

Click to expand...

I guess how it's sent follows standard rules, but what is sent is personal to each app.

Wait a second, does this mean I can use my iPhone to gather data from someone else's medical/health devices?

JoeDimwit said:

Wait a second, does this mean I can use my iPhone to gather data from someone else's medical/health devices?

Click to expand...

No, of course not. There just won't be a proprietary app+device pairing process. It'll be a pure Bluetooth pairing process.

Wow! No one knows ..>!

I can't believe you guys don't know that Apple is in BIG trouble because the logo and the idea is already property of an Australia company called HealthKit.
This girl was one of the Young entrepreneur of the year a few years back.
It is all over the news here in Australia because what Apple has done is incredible: steal the idea, the concept and even the logo!
I love apple and I got every single product they have come up with in the last 5 years but this is something else.
Don't believe me? Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

cyberkoala said:

I can't believe you guys don't know that Apple is in BIG trouble because the logo and the idea is already property of an Australia company called HealthKit.
This girl was one of the Young entrepreneur of the year a few years back.
It is all over the news here in Australia because what Apple has done is incredible: steal the idea, the concept and even the logo!
I love apple and I got every single product they have come up with in the last 5 years but this is something else.
Don't believe me? Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

Click to expand...

What logo? What idea? I don't see any similarities there at all.

And many of Apple's frameworks use the "Kit" suffix. It's a back-end thing that developers see, end-users are only present with "Health".

Just like SpriteKit and SceneKit.

And trademarks only apply to specific areas. Apple's HealthKit applies to operating system software. What OS does her trademark pertain to?

cyberkoala said:

I can't believe you guys don't know that Apple is in BIG trouble because the logo and the idea is already property of an Australia company called HealthKit.
This girl was one of the Young entrepreneur of the year a few years back.
It is all over the news here in Australia because what Apple has done is incredible: steal the idea, the concept and even the logo!
I love apple and I got every single product they have come up with in the last 5 years but this is something else.
Don't believe me? Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

Click to expand...

So you've decided Apple's in big trouble?

cyberkoala said:

I can't believe you guys don't know that Apple is in BIG trouble because the logo and the idea is already property of an Australia company called HealthKit.
This girl was one of the Young entrepreneur of the year a few years back.
It is all over the news here in Australia because what Apple has done is incredible: steal the idea, the concept and even the logo!
I love apple and I got every single product they have come up with in the last 5 years but this is something else.
Don't believe me? Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

Click to expand...

Well, I see the name is the same, but the logo isn't the same at all. I guess you are referring to the styling of the letters? But I gotta say, having an app that collects health information is far from being a novel idea...for Apple or this Australian girl.

cyberkoala said:

Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

Click to expand...

Her asking price? $3 billion and an on-stage phone call from Apple during the next WWDC keynote.

Not me... read all about it

Iconoclysm said:

So you've decided Apple's in big trouble?

Click to expand...

Not me mate. Is the law. Read the news:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/smal...ldembracing-idea/story-fn9evb64-1226943793182

http://www.cnet.com/au/news/apple-draws-ire-from-aussie-startup-over-healthkit/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...accused-stealing-idea-new-HealthKit-tool.html

And if this is not enough, read Wired:

http://www.wired.com/2014/06/apple-healthkit-taken/

So again, is not me "thinking they are in trouble" ... is Apple who have created the problem themselves.

cyberkoala said:

Not me mate. Is the law. Read the news:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/smal...ldembracing-idea/story-fn9evb64-1226943793182

http://www.cnet.com/au/news/apple-draws-ire-from-aussie-startup-over-healthkit/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...accused-stealing-idea-new-HealthKit-tool.html

And if this is not enough, read Wired:

http://www.wired.com/2014/06/apple-healthkit-taken/

So again, is not me "thinking they are in trouble" ... is Apple who have created the problem themselves.

Click to expand...

Please point me to the trademark filing.
Oh, you can't? Well then.
Please elaborate as to how Apple should is suppose to know everything on the planet when this company didn't file anything with the government????

USPTO TESS Trademark search for 'HealthKit' shows 0 results
IPAustraila ATMOSS Trademark search for 'HealthKit' shows 0 results

Lesson learned. File a trademark like a normal company if you want to protect your......trademark......

just answer me this...

ThisIsNotMe said:

Please point me to the trademark filing.
Oh, you can't? Well then.
Please elaborate as to how Apple should is suppose to know everything on the planet when this company didn't file anything with the government????

USPTO TESS Trademark search for 'HealthKit' shows 0 results
IPAustraila ATMOSS Trademark search for 'HealthKit' shows 0 results

Lesson learned. File a trademark like a normal company if you want to protect your......trademark......

Click to expand...

So just answer me this: Is it legally correct to use the idea, the concept, the name of somebody else just because you want it?
Do you think that a multi billion company don't have money to have staff dedicated to find out over the internet with a simple "search" if something like this is already in existence?
Rest my case...

cyberkoala said:

I can't believe you guys don't know that Apple is in BIG trouble because the logo and the idea is already property of an Australia company called HealthKit.
This girl was one of the Young entrepreneur of the year a few years back.
It is all over the news here in Australia because what Apple has done is incredible: steal the idea, the concept and even the logo!
I love apple and I got every single product they have come up with in the last 5 years but this is something else.
Don't believe me? Check this out:

https://www.healthkit.com

I believe that by end of next week this girl will be millionaire because apple will not have any other option that buy her up.
What do you think?
Cheers

Click to expand...

I hadn't heard, but then I'm not following the tech press that closely. Looking into it, it's just about the name of Apple's API, which is named consistently with their other libraries, eg WebKit etc. They have history of this, using I-names even if a company in some country has a trademark, or someone has the website with that name, then sort it out after the fact. iPhone had similar issues, just now there is a story from Mexico and the name iFone.
The basic concept is similar, but not the same; I think they are about marrying up health professionals like doctors and GPs and patients through a website, whereas Apple's Health app is about collecting data from health sensors and display them centrally.
The logo is nothing like theirs, that is not at issue. Nor is it an identical concept, though they both involve collecting health data centrally using technology. So's Samsung's new devices. I guess they got somewhat Sherlocked if they were planning making smartphone apps in the future. They still can since Healthkit is just the API, it's up to apps, like Apple's own Health app and others to do something with it. And then of course there's Android.
Millionaires by the end of next week? Doubt it. I can understand them being miffed as it creates confusion among customers, and they may well sue and they will sort something out over time. But hardly a legal slam-dunk. Maybe Apple will have to change the name of their API in the end.

furi0usbee said:

App devs won't like this. Hardware devs probably will.

Click to expand...

I like it too

Crzyrio said:

I take it then the manufacturer would need to follow the Guidelines Apple provides them for sending/receiving data?

Click to expand...

That is a very good question to which I have no answer. I'm still frustrated with Apples stingy way in which they handle Bluetooth connections to common things like RS232 adapters. Developers should be free to use such adapters anyway they see fit.

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Douglas B said:

According to the article, Apple is following (not providing) standard guidelines themselves: "Apple is using official standard specs for Bluetooth LE devices from http://Bluetooth.org"

So the manufacturers should just follow the standard guidelines.

Click to expand...

I think the point here is how far do those standards go. I really don't know but I'd find it very odd if they had a data format standard for every potential device out there.

cyberkoala said:

So just answer me this: Is it legally correct to use the idea, the concept, the name of somebody else just because you want it?
Do you think that a multi billion company don't have money to have staff dedicated to find out over the internet with a simple "search" if something like this is already in existence?
Rest my case...

Click to expand...

HealthKit is the name of the API. It's not the name of a product. The app is called "Health". Just because there's an entity out there with the name doesn't mean Apple can't use it for an API within their OS. It isn't even trademarked (as another poster pointed out). So this is really much ado about nothing and looks like an attempt by the company HealthKit to drum up some publicity and perhaps some cash from Apple.

cyberkoala said:

So just answer me this: Is it legally correct to use the idea, the concept, the name of somebody else just because you want it?
Do you think that a multi billion company don't have money to have staff dedicated to find out over the internet with a simple "search" if something like this is already in existence?
Rest my case...

Click to expand...

If the name wasn't registered she doesn't have a case. Beyond that HealthKit is the name of an API not a consumer facing product.