I’m pretty sure pacemakers come with the instruction to keep them away from electronic devices.
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Apple Shares List of Products to Keep Safe Distance Away From Pacemakers
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I can understand why magnets were used for this function in the earlier days of pacemakers, it's essentially a primitive form of wireless control.
However, it doesn't seem unfeasible that pacemaker designers could now develop a new radio frequency control technology that is both reliable and secure.
autrefois
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One of my favorite SNL bits! Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone reference it in a while. My favorite part:
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
iPhone 14 with carefully designed system of low-power magnets to provide equivalent benefit but not interfere with medical devices. Probably USD 49 or 99 more, that's all.
People with pacemakers already know this sort of information and if unknown, they're cautious. Get off your high horse.
Well, it actually depends on how they're programmed. Some do; some pace at a set rate/rhythm; some have the sensing function disabled; if it's a defibrillator it might disable that; basically... 'it depends'
We put magnets (very strong ones) on pacemakers at work all the time. The likelihood of it doing any significant harm is minuscule, especially as it generally requires a strong magnet to flick the reed switch.
You clearly don't understand how pacemakers work and why being reacting to a magnet (via a reed switch) is desirable. Best keep the (uninformed) opinion to yourself. Better yet, go and read the wikipedia page on pacemakers and ICDs and THEN post a comment.
I had to log in USF to respond to this.
People just support Apple no matter what they do. Pacemakers have been around since the 1960s. Apple created a product that interferes with them, the problem isn’t the pacemaker, it’s whoever dropped the ball in testing during the engineering process combined with Apple wanting to make their magic keyboard/ Smart Cover attach better. Who cares about the convenience of MagSafe when is kills my dad
Oh no! I always keep my iMac in my chest pocket…
Now what do I do??
Now what do I do??
10'000 year battery powered by radiation from nuclear waste.
I'm sorry but WHO WOULD HOLD A MAC MINI CLOSE TO HIS/HER PACEMAKER???
Like oh gosh this disclaimer is just hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
Like oh gosh this disclaimer is just hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
I suspect it's to fend off the lawsuit someone tries to raise. I guess that is one of the things Apple has had to become.
Yes, Apple has overlooked the implications of adding such strong magnets to their lineup. Clearly their fault!
On the other hand I think it isn’t unreasonable to expect pacemaker companies to get rid of 1960’s technology and acknowledge that the world has turned. Life has changed since the days of the original conception of controlling a pacemaker or defibrillator via magnet.
And it’s not only electronic devices like Apple gadgets that pose a problem to these devices: When my father needed a defibrillator, it was difficult to a find a model that was approved for MRT, which was necessary for regular checkups due to his medical situation. Is this now the MRT developer’s fault that they did not consider pacemakers?
Feels like pacemaker and defibrillator companies are not willing to really progress, because the existing products sell well and they can comfortably hide behind the stance of required reliability and proven technology. Probably still using ancient Z80 processors and telling themselves they’re bleeding edge … /sarcasm
Not news.
Pacemakers come with warnings to avoid magnets & radio transmitters within 6 inches. I’ve been keeping such away from my left shoulder for 13 years, no big deal. No mistake on Apple’s part.
Only because the article says “Apple” do the naysayers crawl out of the woodwork, frothing.
Pacemakers come with warnings to avoid magnets & radio transmitters within 6 inches. I’ve been keeping such away from my left shoulder for 13 years, no big deal. No mistake on Apple’s part.
Only because the article says “Apple” do the naysayers crawl out of the woodwork, frothing.
Almost all modern electric devices have magnets. Everything that has a speaker basically and many more.
As others have mentioned, implantable devices require magnets to go into different modes and the reason why they use magnets to do that is very simple. You never know where they will take you for a very urgent intervention and that center might not have all the programmers from 5 different manufacturers to disable the device. Not only that, there are some pacemakers still kicking very well from very old days, which doesn’t have a programmer anymore, like East European brands, like Siemens etc. Rare but happens. So how are they going to reprogram them. That’s why they use magnets And it is. It going to change very soon.
However what I find funny is the fact that both Abbott and Medtronic have recently announced mobile phone connected devices, where you can follow up your device with an app on your phone.
However what I find funny is the fact that both Abbott and Medtronic have recently announced mobile phone connected devices, where you can follow up your device with an app on your phone.
Did anyone mention the security scanners at Airports?
This is not really something new and certainly not something for Apple bashing. An electric toothbrosh seems to be quite hazardous as well, as it is driven by a motor containing magnets. Not to forget a hairdryer, you wave around your head. 😬
This is not really something new and certainly not something for Apple bashing. An electric toothbrosh seems to be quite hazardous as well, as it is driven by a motor containing magnets. Not to forget a hairdryer, you wave around your head. 😬
There should be a device that can alert the pacemaker user of any device that is too close. It could be a chain around the neck to detect and send out an alarm and more sensitive than the actual pace maker for longer distances.
The issue is that these devices use magnets to activate and change their programming. That tech is pretty old, but it is reliable. The magnets must be very close, in the skin or near the skin. So shielding would sort of defeat the purpose. Could the tech be something different? Don’t know. It’s old and robust. Kind of hard to reboot the device under the skin.
