Why Apple Health, not the iPhone, will be Apple’s biggest impact on our lives

1 week ago

Imagine yourself 20 years from now, and inquire yourself nan question: What was Apple’s biggest effect connected nan world? Since nan return of nan prodigal Steve Jobs successful 1997, nan California institution has unveiled a bid of innovations that person heavy impacted really we usage exertion today.

Apple’s power is vast, and its sheer marketplace powerfulness intends it’s a advisor to companies and governments worldwide. It has galore products that person had a lasting effect connected our lives, not nan slightest of which is nan iPhone and really it changed nan smartphone industry. Then there’s nan iPod and iPad, which created wholly caller categories.

Despite each of these successes, I deliberation Apple’s biggest lasting effect is successful an wholly different category: Apple Health. To understand why, we request to concisely look astatine immoderate cardinal moments successful Apple’s history that person shaped its guidance today.

A little history of Apple’s devices portfolio

Someone holding nan Apple Watch Series 10.

Think backmost to nan first question; your mind whitethorn person instantly jumped to nan iPhone, aliases possibly reasoning of nan iPod brought a grin to your face. Apple has a agelong history of creating products that either overhaul full categories aliases create each caller categories of their own.

The iPhone is nan champion illustration of this. In 2007, Apple introduced nan first iPhone, and erstwhile it went connected sale, it changed your smartphone forever. No much styluses and resistive displays — hullo fingers and capacitive screens. Within a year, we had nan App Store, past location was FaceTime, Siri, Touch ID, and Face ID. And past nan removal of nan headphone jack.

It’s not conscionable nan iPhone. The iPod has had a akin effect and helped usher successful a integer era for music, and nary 1 has travel adjacent to replicating nan occurrence of nan iPad successful nan tablet space. For each these successes, there’s 1 merchandise and area that nary 1 has been capable to compete pinch Apple. That point is Apple Health.

All roads lead to Apple Health

Workout mode successful action connected nan Apple Watch Series 10

Apple’s Glowtime arena successful September saw galore announcements. From nan iPhone 16 series to nan Apple Watch Series 10 and nan caller AirPods 4, nan institution unveiled a batch of caller products. It besides unveiled updates to others, including a caller colour for nan Apple Watch Ultra 2, and a azygous update for nan AirPods Pro 2.

In nan agelong term, Apple’s Glowtime arena will beryllium remembered for that azygous update: nan AirPods Pro 2 tin now behaviour a objective proceeding test, and soon, they’ll beryllium capable to enactment arsenic proceeding aids.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 pinch USB-C and MagSafe review

We each cognize group who person mislaid aliases person constricted usability successful 1 aliases much of their senses and they each enactment nan aforesaid way: astatine immoderate point, there’s a denial that there’s a problem. This is owed to much than conscionable denial of nan problem; proceeding immunodeficiency are feared because they’re ugly, expensive, and cumbersome, and nary 1 likes going to a doctor.

Now see nan AirPods Pro 2. Apple has sold tens of millions of pairs of these, and we’re each utilized to seeing them successful people’s ears. Diagnosing a proceeding problem, and getting a brace of proceeding aids, tin costs thousands of dollars, but for $249 (unless you drawback 1 of nan best AirPods deals), you tin execute nan aforesaid thing. This will toggle shape millions of lives overnight, and you’re much apt to seduce a friend aliases loved 1 successful denial to trial utilizing their brace of AirPods.

The Apple Watch is nan crown jewel successful Apple Health

A personification checking nan fittingness information connected an Apple Watch Series 9.

The AirPods Pro 2 is simply a awesome illustration of really immoderate merchandise tin beryllium utilized to amended immoderate facet of health, but nan crown jewel successful nan Apple Health ecosystem is nan Apple Watch. This twelvemonth was nan 10th day of nan first Apple Watch, and it’s been documented arsenic redeeming millions of lives, excavation included. The iPhone changed our lives, but did it prevention them?

The Apple Watch is nan astir important instrumentality that Apple sells correct now. Of each nan products connected Apple’s shelves, it’s nan 1 that markedly improves your life. There’s a suite of wellness features that could prevention your life, including precocious and low-heart-rate notifications, EKG, autumn detection, and humor unit monitoring (at least, connected older generations).

Post-walk fittingness information connected nan Apple Watch Series 9.

There are besides features that tin observe AFib and different bosom conditions, car clang detection, and Sleep Apnea detection. This second characteristic is caller for this twelvemonth and is designed to thief diagnose Sleep Apnea successful nan millions of undiagnosed patients globally. The Apple Health app tin sync information to and from astir fittingness apps — dissimilar nan myriad of balanced apps connected Android that don’t sync to arsenic galore apps — and it tin moreover sync your aesculapian records.

The suite of Apple Health features disposable coming is already incredibly strong. Looking down nan roadworthy for nan adjacent fewer year, it only stands to get better.

The early for Apple lies successful Health

Heart Rate monitoring connected Apple Watch Series 10

Smartphone income person stagnated complete nan past fewer years. Although 1.14 cardinal smartphones were sold globally successful 2023 and location are still millions of caller customers who are coming online for nan first time, galore of these group won’t beryllium capable to spend an iPhone. For Apple, nan iPhone is designed to bring customers into its ecosystem, but location are not galore places that Apple tin innovate, astatine slightest until it makes a foldable iPhone.

Now deliberation astir nan Apple Watch. It’s respective generations younger than nan iPhone, and nan full wearable marketplace is nascent successful comparison to smartphones. Crucially, Apple still has a ascendant lead, pinch Apple Watch shipments accounting for 26% of full wearable shipments, according to a recent study from Counterpoint.

I can’t show you what semipermanent features Apple is moving connected for nan iPhone, but Apple is moving connected respective Apple Watch features that will beryllium transformative. These see humor unit monitoring without a cuff and non-invasive humor glucose monitoring. Samsung and Google are some besides moving connected these features, and each 3 companies are going head-to-head pinch ample pharmaceutical companies successful a title to beryllium nan first to bring these features to market.

In particular, non-invasive glucose monitoring is considered nan beatified grail for treating diabetes. I usage a continuous glucose show that inserts a mini needle successful my limb and transmits glucose readings to my phone. I alteration nan sensor each 10 days and it costs hundreds of dollars per period for nan sensors, moreover pinch a premium wellness security plan.

Like nan AirPods Pro 2 and proceeding aids, see nan anticipation of buying a azygous instrumentality from Apple that did each of this instead. These are conscionable 2 examples of galore ways that Apple could go your wellness provider. The institution is connected a travel to democratize wellness for everybody, and successful doing so, its effect connected our lives will turn ever stronger.

I’m not nan only 1 who thinks so. In precocious 2020, Tim Cook dived into nan Apple Watch and Apple’s attack to Health. He confirmed that nan institution was initially amazed astatine really galore customers called Apple Health features life-changing, starring him to say: “I do think, looking back, successful nan future, you will reply that question: Apple’s astir important publication to mankind has been successful health.”

Having already been a beneficiary of Apple Health, I can’t hold to spot what Apple — and Samsung and Google — do complete nan adjacent fewer years to support increasing nan mobile wellness space.