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Rumored 'Healthbook' App for iOS 8 Suggests Significant Health Component to iWatch
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As with all rumored Apple products, I suggest we wait and see what it actually does once it's released before we decide how useful it will be or whether it will sell. Apple's track record has been pretty good for over a decade, and I doubt they'd introduce a new product category that bombs in the marketplace. I was skeptical about the iPhone and the iPad during the rumor phases and then after they were announced. Now I can't imagine not owning them, because I use them for so many things. I also expect that Apple has a roadmap for the iWatch, and that it will be version 2 or 3 before it becomes really impressive. If I'm wrong, then clearly Apple is doomed.
Sure, cause Apple's track record is releasing products that are very big failures.
I wonder if the iWatch will be metal. If so I won't be able to wear it (skin allergy). The thought of being excluded from a new Apple product is horrifying
Ohh the joys of people who don't understand the potential. I've been saying this from the beginning to all of the people who said a watch is useless because they have absolutely no idea what Apple is doing, and no imagination or inventiveness. Sad. Now everyone will get the picture of what Apple is doing with the wearable, but they still think it is useless because they are probably overweight and insecure about anything tracking their health.
Anyone with intelligence has known from the beginning that this isn't a watch. Lol. Telling time is not what it is being created for at all. People smart enough to grasp the potential know that this will be the next big thing, simple as that. This is without a doubt the next iPhone in terms of innovation and inventiveness. Accurately tracking these vital health marks will augment people's lives, enhancing their health, and literally save people's lives. I'm especially excited about the report of the executives meeting with FDA, this means they are working out the requirements to market this. Meaning they are getting approval of these sensors' accuracy.
I expect so many great things from Apple this year.
I've got to say I'm totally disinterested about the "health" side to this. In fact, it very much puts me off the idea of the product.
I don't believe there is a need to monitor 100 different statistics about every bodily function. I think that it's the latest corporatism ploy - measure all this stuff about you so you can feel concerned that you're deficient in this or that obscure statistic. Maybe I'm just too cynical.
If you've ever watched House, where people come in with a headache and worry that it's a brain tumour based on some stuff they read on the internet, you'll know why it's counterproductive to give people so much data. Sure, it's a comedic part of the show, but most of my closest friends from University are doctors and they tell me that it is not very far from that. People are just not informed enough or objective enough to interpret the raw data when it concerns their own bodies.
Data is useless unless you know how to interpret it. It's just numbers until experience and knowledge give it meaning. The human body is an extremely complex machine, and even the most experienced professors of medicine don't fully understand all of the mechanisms it has at its disposal. So giving lots of data to unqualified people (who are very much in a biased position) cannot possibly be a good thing. It will simply increase their own anxiety.
I would compare this to the overprescription of antibiotics. Even doctors (who should have known better) widely prescribed antibiotics as a preventative measure, leading to the build-up of resistant strains. Again, I'm going from second-hand experience, but you wouldn't believe the number of people who specifically ask the doctor for antibiotics when they catch a cold. Every doctors knows that antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viruses (like the cold), but most of the population don't know or care much about that; to them, antibiotics make you well when you're sick and that's that. Imagine how much more quickly resistant bacteria could build up if you could buy antibiotics over-the-counter! Not to mention the amount of damage people would do to themselves, killing off the perfectly healthy bacteria that live in their guts.
Once people start getting a little information, they're going to see all kinds of 'deficiencies' in their health. Even if they decide that it's not an issue, the idea has been introduced in to their minds. The mind is actually a very malleable tool, and those kinds of suggestions lead people to become hypochondriacs.
Take hypnosis. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. What happens is the hypnotist is able to exploit your mind's openness to suggestion. Even small ideas, like that your blood pressure is slightly too high, can amplify to become a crisis once anything out-of-the-ordinary happens. Stress does not help anybody, and is a significant risk-factor for all kinds of conditions.
I'm not denying that there are some people who could benefit - diabetics, for instance - but those are narrow cases where a person needs to monitor one or a couple of highly specific parameters. They are given precise instructions for how to interpret that small amount of data. Monitoring a huge variety of parameters and marketing is as a broad-appeal consumer electronics device (which it would inevitably be if it comes from Apple, by virtue of the brand alone) could have to a lot of negative side-effects.
Also, I very much believe this would be the primary function of any iWatch. If you build such a diverse array of sensors in to a product, and hire so many high-profile medical device engineers, it is clearly going to be the main selling point of the product. Besides, what else could you realistically do with a watch? It's too small to really interact with the device much. It's going to be a healthcare-oriented device, that's for sure. The problem I have is that I see it more as a marketing device for the healthcare industry. The whole idea of constantly monitoring and worrying about the intricate workings of your body is something I am totally against.
I don't believe there is a need to monitor 100 different statistics about every bodily function. I think that it's the latest corporatism ploy - measure all this stuff about you so you can feel concerned that you're deficient in this or that obscure statistic. Maybe I'm just too cynical.
If you've ever watched House, where people come in with a headache and worry that it's a brain tumour based on some stuff they read on the internet, you'll know why it's counterproductive to give people so much data. Sure, it's a comedic part of the show, but most of my closest friends from University are doctors and they tell me that it is not very far from that. People are just not informed enough or objective enough to interpret the raw data when it concerns their own bodies.
Data is useless unless you know how to interpret it. It's just numbers until experience and knowledge give it meaning. The human body is an extremely complex machine, and even the most experienced professors of medicine don't fully understand all of the mechanisms it has at its disposal. So giving lots of data to unqualified people (who are very much in a biased position) cannot possibly be a good thing. It will simply increase their own anxiety.
I would compare this to the overprescription of antibiotics. Even doctors (who should have known better) widely prescribed antibiotics as a preventative measure, leading to the build-up of resistant strains. Again, I'm going from second-hand experience, but you wouldn't believe the number of people who specifically ask the doctor for antibiotics when they catch a cold. Every doctors knows that antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viruses (like the cold), but most of the population don't know or care much about that; to them, antibiotics make you well when you're sick and that's that. Imagine how much more quickly resistant bacteria could build up if you could buy antibiotics over-the-counter! Not to mention the amount of damage people would do to themselves, killing off the perfectly healthy bacteria that live in their guts.
Once people start getting a little information, they're going to see all kinds of 'deficiencies' in their health. Even if they decide that it's not an issue, the idea has been introduced in to their minds. The mind is actually a very malleable tool, and those kinds of suggestions lead people to become hypochondriacs.
Take hypnosis. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. What happens is the hypnotist is able to exploit your mind's openness to suggestion. Even small ideas, like that your blood pressure is slightly too high, can amplify to become a crisis once anything out-of-the-ordinary happens. Stress does not help anybody, and is a significant risk-factor for all kinds of conditions.
I'm not denying that there are some people who could benefit - diabetics, for instance - but those are narrow cases where a person needs to monitor one or a couple of highly specific parameters. They are given precise instructions for how to interpret that small amount of data. Monitoring a huge variety of parameters and marketing is as a broad-appeal consumer electronics device (which it would inevitably be if it comes from Apple, by virtue of the brand alone) could have to a lot of negative side-effects.
Also, I very much believe this would be the primary function of any iWatch. If you build such a diverse array of sensors in to a product, and hire so many high-profile medical device engineers, it is clearly going to be the main selling point of the product. Besides, what else could you realistically do with a watch? It's too small to really interact with the device much. It's going to be a healthcare-oriented device, that's for sure. The problem I have is that I see it more as a marketing device for the healthcare industry. The whole idea of constantly monitoring and worrying about the intricate workings of your body is something I am totally against.
I am so excited about an I watch that monitors blood glucose levels without blood. It would literally change my Life, and that of other diabetics.
I just don't see how they could easily get it through FDA approval...
I just don't see how they could easily get it through FDA approval...
Never underestimate the power of a good Apple marketing campaign to change the habits of the tribe.
The Pharmaceutical industry is most likely the driving force behind this they are going to push EMR.
Pulse is vital for effective training in pretty much any sport. Everyone who knows a little bit about sport knows that you need to know your pulse in order to be better at the exercise and you need to watch your heart rate based on the type of exercise you are doing. YES there are products already but wouldn't you like to have all-in-one? So if biometrics are just addition to already long list of things like notification, music player control, sms, etc. then this is welcome addition. In fact, for me that vital as I don't care that much about notifications and stuff but if i get biometrics then I will be more than happy to get iWatch simply because I will have what I want and not to mention the perfect syncing etc with the Apple ecosystem.
On the otherhand, I think i will wait for 2nd generation.
I think it would be great to wear a device of this type that would warn me if I exceeded, say, 155 bpm heart rate or my temperature reached 101.6 degrees or even if an automatic daily blood pressure check was abnormally high. (Your settings may vary) It could even be set to warn someone else. It could be life saving.
Hopefully it is going to be water resistant.
Hopefully it is going to be water resistant.
I didn't bother to read all of this but you are so incorrect. Monitoring all of this is the future and it will save lives. Moreover, it augments doctor - patient health monitoring by the potential to feed your doctor information about your health. It isn't supposed to diagnose what's wrong with you.
iOS 8 = Healthbook
Healthbook = Health
Health = Exercise
Exercise = Work
Work = Healthy eating
Healthy eating = No burgers or pizza
No burgers or pizza = No thank you.
Healthbook = Health
Health = Exercise
Exercise = Work
Work = Healthy eating
Healthy eating = No burgers or pizza
No burgers or pizza = No thank you.
lol these things are ****ing gimmicks and its pathetic to even make an app.
if you're serious about your health, do it NOW not when this **** comes out.
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and this is why america is fat folks.
you can eat burgers and pizza, but be careful how often.
if you're serious about your health, do it NOW not when this **** comes out.
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and this is why america is fat folks.
you can eat burgers and pizza, but be careful how often.
I can't say this would interest me at all. Not that I'm not concerned about my health, but I'm not OCD about it like all the people with Fitbit and the Nike stuff.
As much of an Apple devoteé as I am, I find Google's broad strokes of R&D in driverless cars and robotics much more compelling and daring. Surely whatever Google comes up with on that front will be creepy, but the potential of those technologies is much bigger than a health meter on your wrist.
As much of an Apple devoteé as I am, I find Google's broad strokes of R&D in driverless cars and robotics much more compelling and daring. Surely whatever Google comes up with on that front will be creepy, but the potential of those technologies is much bigger than a health meter on your wrist.
yes
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Most people don't train with monitoring their pulse, even marathon runners. That being said, I do, and for osmeone like me, sure an all in one would be nicer than me having to carry my garmin 310xt and ipod nano, but for most people it's useless. Thats my argument. It isn't a mass consumer product. It's very niche if thats where they're going.
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Most people don't train with monitoring their pulse, even marathon runners. That being said, I do, and for osmeone like me, sure an all in one would be nicer than me having to carry my garmin 310xt and ipod nano, but for most people it's useless. Thats my argument. It isn't a mass consumer product. It's very niche if thats where they're going.
Pulse is vital for effective training in pretty much any sport. Everyone who knows a little bit about sport knows that you need to know your pulse in order to be better at the exercise and you need to watch your heart rate based on the type of exercise you are doing. YES there are products already but wouldn't you like to have all-in-one? So if biometrics are just addition to already long list of things like notification, music player control, sms, etc. then this is welcome addition. In fact, for me that vital as I don't care that much about notifications and stuff but if i get biometrics then I will be more than happy to get iWatch simply because I will have what I want and not to mention the perfect syncing etc with the Apple ecosystem.
On the otherhand, I think i will wait for 2nd generation.
the new iWatch will also be an ipod
I think as we've seen since the company results were discussed Apple is not selling as many iPods as they did in the past.
Everyone already has an iPod on the iPhone and/or iPod touch.
The Nano didn't get refreshed this past year.
I predict among one of the functions the iWatch will have is a 16GB capacity which will take the place of the iPod nano category. So now whenever you walk around with your iWatch on you will also be walking around with 16GB of your songs, podcasts, audiobooks. you'll be able to hook up earphones to the iWatch or use bluetooth to play the music.
I think as we've seen since the company results were discussed Apple is not selling as many iPods as they did in the past.
Everyone already has an iPod on the iPhone and/or iPod touch.
The Nano didn't get refreshed this past year.
I predict among one of the functions the iWatch will have is a 16GB capacity which will take the place of the iPod nano category. So now whenever you walk around with your iWatch on you will also be walking around with 16GB of your songs, podcasts, audiobooks. you'll be able to hook up earphones to the iWatch or use bluetooth to play the music.
You didn't bother to read it all but still felt you could make an informed comment? Are you perhaps a congressperson?
"it's the future" isn't an argument that something's good. The argument that it will save lives is debatable, and must be balanced against the point that I'm making - that it has the potential to also do much damage to people's lives.
Clearly it isn't meant to diagnose health conditions, but it is likely to create more stress and anxiety by quantifying all kinds of obscure statistics that the general population don't fully understand. Stress and anxiety are extremely bad for your health, more than most people realise.
