In a 60-page report, Apple summarizes its commitment to health to date. Is this the prologue for more sensors?
Apple apparently wants to significantly increase its commitment to health. That’s according to a 60-page health tech report released by Apple. The paper comes a few months ahead of the release of the next generations of iPhone and Apple Watch. Both devices already contain various health sensors. In the future, Apple will develop even more intelligent health guards, according to the foreword by COO Jeff Williams.
However, Williams leaves open exactly what these are. There are many rumors about other sensors. At the beginning of July it was read that the next Apple Watch could measure body temperature. There are efforts with other sensors, but the technology is not ready yet. Apple is said to be preparing a blood pressure measurement, for example.
how it all started
In 2014, Apple released the Health app on the iPhone. It serves as a kind of information hub and, according to Apple, is intended to protect sensitive health data well with encryption – also with a view to third-party apps that can access and provide data here at the discretion of the user. In 2015 the Apple Watch appeared, where the health sensors along with the fitness functions quickly became the main reasons why many buy such a digital watch.
After the heartbeat monitor in the first Apple Watch in 2015, the ECG function followed in 2018 as a further sensor. The motion and gyro sensors have been used for fall detection since 2018, and since 2021 it has been used to measure whether a person is walking safely. Blood oxygen measurement has also been possible with the watch for several years, although this function has been questioned by medical professionals.
With all health functions, however, scientific verifiability is absolutely important to Apple, the report emphasizes. In doing so, Apple indirectly counters criticism that other manufacturers are already installing more health sensors in their devices.
150 types of data
In the report, Apple names a total of 17 areas in health and fitness for which Apple Watch and iPhone offer functions. Over 150 different types of data can currently be recorded in the Health app. Tens of thousands of apps use the Health app as a data hub. The entire report is available online.
In addition to the personal health functions, Apple also mentions the research area. With the ResearchKit programming interface, Apple devices can be used for virtual studies. It started with an examination of the heart and movement. This was later followed by a study on women’s health and one on hearing.
