Apple Considering 'Full Health and Fitness Services Platform' Modeled on the App Store

[Antares]

How cool would it be if you could post your vitals, online, with Apple's device? Kind of like posting to Facebook or Tweeting. Your friends could not only see that you ran 10 miles but also your route and how "well" you ran. This could be great for training groups.

Or, you could set it to track your vitals automatically. If you have a loved one who is older or sick, you (or another caregiver) can be alerted if the person’s vitals become erratic. I’m also thinking about how fun it could be just to check in on other people’s vitals. For example, let’s say you have two friends who are dating. You may notice that, late at night, sometimes both of their heart rates, breathing and perspiration suddenly rise up for a short period. You could then check in on them to see if everything is alright.

Sharing vitals would be completely optional, of course. However, this kind of tracking could open many opportunities to both better your life and make it more entertaing.

 

[Urban Joe]

If the insurance companies are in a position to take advantage of this information then we, obviously, have not had socialized medicine 'crammed down our throats'.

I'm sorry but your statement is a claim with no evidence or logic to support it.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I'm sorry but your statement is a claim with no evidence or logic to support it.

And neither does yours. Paranoia is not an argument. It is not evidence, nor does it rely on logic.

 

[StyxMaker]

I'm sorry but your statement is a claim with no evidence or logic to support it.

What more evidence or logic do you need? If heath insurance companies can still raise rates based on information about your health then, by definition, it is not socialized medicine.

 

[Coarseman]

Totally agree. It's going to be the iRing!

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Cupertino where the Shadows lie.

 

[Daalseth]

I have my doubts

If the wearable device, whatever it's called and wherever it's worn, is primarily about health I have serious doubts about it's success in the market. To be honest health is like the weather, far more people talk about it than actually do anything about it. There might be a spike in sales when it comes out but I question if most people would keep using it. It may very well end up in a drawer and sales would crash within a few months.

I suspect far more people profess interest in a health device than would actually check the stats periodically, or ever. Knowing my BP, temp, how far I walked, and such every hour of the day would be interesting for a few days but after that I know I'd seldom if ever check it. I sure wouldn't want to drop a few bills on a device for that purpose alone.

OTOH If health is just one of a lot of functions then maybe, as long as it's a stand alone device and doesn't require an iPhone nearby.

If it's just an iPhone extension then fahgettaboudit.

 

[macs4nw]

I could not agree with you more. The health industry is HUGE and growing. Everyone cares about their health... even those who say they don't... should. Apple is about to give them a great reason to start paying attention…..

Agreed. Additionally, I'm wondering if all these mysterious and conflicting reports aren't part of a well orchestrated campaign by Apple of obfuscating the real new product and throwing us all, as well as the competition, off the scent while keeping interest fiercely alive, so we can be once again wowed and amazed by a new and 'unexpected' product category.

Would of course also do wonders for Tim's 'doubling down' assertion.

And yes, with an aging population, there's huge growth potential for the health-related industry in general, and personalized health monitoring devices specifically. Apple is 'crazy like a fox' to capitalize on that.

 

[rlhamil]

To really build an ecosystem, either the base watch had better have every vital sign sensor feasible built into it, or it had better do Bluetooth LE (low energy) with optional add-on sensors, and to make best use of them, there ought to be conventions for self-identifying sensor data (what's being measured, the unit of measurement, the expected accuracy, etc) being reported, so that a single data collection sensor framework can be created.

Privacy is just plain scary on this though; who wants hackers, NYC fitness police, and other intrusive nutcases digging data out of these? Yet one-way hashes that only let it say that something is different would just about cripple the full usefulness of it. Protecting the data without obscuring it into meaninglessness, and giving the user absolute control over any forwarding of the data, is essential, IMO.

 

[racer1441]

Am I the only one who couldn't give a flying leap about this health crap?

 

[GoCubsGo]

Apple's MO is to give their customers something they didn't know they needed.

And to give their customers something that seemed like it should have always been there. i.e.: copy/paste iOS.

 

[Rogifan]

I wouldn't go quite that far. I feel quite safe in predicting that Apple won't release dull or derivative products, and that what they do release will surprise nearly everyone.

Concerning medical devices, Apple is a member of the consortium that bought Kodak's IP out of bankruptcy, some of which was in medical imaging. That ball has been in play for a couple of years now.

I guess my point was around areas Apple may or may not get into. Already I've heard pundits say Apple won't get into home automation and any wearable device is just going to be a cheap iPhone accessory. But I have a feeling we're all going to be surprised by what Apple does next. They're not hiring all these people to build a cheap iPhone accessory.

 

[samcraig]

I guess my point was around areas Apple may or may not get into. Already I've heard pundits say Apple won't get into home automation and any wearable device is just going to be a cheap iPhone accessory. But I have a feeling we're all going to be surprised by what Apple does next. They're not hiring all these people to build a cheap iPhone accessory.

Clearly none of these pundits are correct. All of these purchases and supposed leaks are really about the EYE-TV (since iTV is trademarked). Apple's newest Apple TV update goes right to the biometric level - an eye and ear implant to serve up media content. Of course - it will also happen to monitor vitals. Especially to make sure that a) you don't seizure, b) volume doesn't get too high, those action flicks you are watching don't increase your ticker too much!

 

[JHankwitz]

Am I the only one who couldn't give a flying leap about this health crap?

Then why are you taking the time to read it?

 

[fullauto]

A health ecosystem would be massive. A huge target market that would only get bigger and bigger. Exercise newcomers feeling high and mighty would spread some fantastic word of mouth advertising, we'll be passing down generations of fitness and health wearables along with iPads and iPhones to family and friends with each upgrade. Great stuff.

 

[thasan]

Then why are you taking the time to read it?

perhaps he/she gets paid for it

 

[Crosscreek]

A health ecosystem would be massive. A huge target market that would only get bigger and bigger. Exercise newcomers feeling high and mighty would spread some fantastic word of mouth advertising, we'll be passing down generations of fitness and health wearables along with iPads and iPhones to family and friends with each upgrade. Great stuff.

.......not

 

[Daalseth]

Am I the only one who couldn't give a flying leap about this health crap?

No you are not alone. I'm following the thread because I'm interested in Apple and their success, but as I posed above I have SERIOUS qualms about if a dedicated health monitoring device is a winning strategy. Far more people say they care about their health than actually would use a dedicated device. If they did rates of smoking, drinking and obesity would be far lower. If that's all this device does I very much doubt whether it would succeed.

 

[kerryb]

"If you're concerned about being tracked, ditch your smartphone. Every move we make is watched these days. We're past the point of no return.

Only if you allow it too, you can turn off your phone when you are out, believe it or not there was a time before the iPhone.

As for vitals in the "wrong hands" - I really am at a loss as to what a criminal would be able to do with my blood pressure and other vitals.....[/QUOTE]

The wrong hands are advertisers that see you have high blood pressure and call, mail, email and text you medication ads. The other wrong people is your employer, your insurance company, healthcare and life insurance.

 

[IJ Reilly]

And to give their customers something that seemed like it should have always been there. i.e.: copy/paste iOS.

Because they were really asking for the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad.

Try again, this time with feeling.

 

[Rychiar]

I can't imagine many would care for all these health features they're waisting time on. I'd rather they just catch up to the abilities droids have these days. If i was worried about my health i sure as **** wouldn't have all this wireless technology so close to my body all the time lol

 

[IJ Reilly]

I guess my point was around areas Apple may or may not get into. Already I've heard pundits say Apple won't get into home automation and any wearable device is just going to be a cheap iPhone accessory. But I have a feeling we're all going to be surprised by what Apple does next. They're not hiring all these people to build a cheap iPhone accessory.

Nor have they been waiting on this market just to do a knockoff or a marginal improvement on something we've already seen. It always surprises me when people think that Apple would do a thing like that. I guess they've managed to erase from their memories how blown away everyone was by the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. It's like these things never happened. Because, you know, the iPhone didn't originally have cut and paste.

 

[Macboy Pro]

The iRing to rule them all.

iWatch for good ideas --Samsung

 

[Tech198]

OMG !!! Apple's gone healthy

 

[AppleScruff1]

Yup! And it looks like it will be far more than a stupid wrist band. Chances are it will be a whole series of wearable sensors to detect every body operation and function, from heart, brain, diabetes, and metabolism, to alcohol, oxygen, fat, water, stress, and orgasm levels, all in a simple handy easy to use device.

I read on another site that it can cure cancer too.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I read on another site that it can cure cancer too.

If not cure, then prevent it, surely.