Apple plans to take on users’ health and homes with new technology it revealed Monday at its annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco.
The tech giant announced its launch of HealthKit, an iPhone service that collects and stores a user’s fitness and health information. Users access HealthKit through an app called Health, which is available only through iOS 8, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, which the company also unveiled at the conference.
“The new Health app gathers the information you choose from your various health apps and fitness devices, and provides you with a clear and current overview in one place,” according to Apple’s press release Monday. “iOS 8 offers developers the ability for health and fitness apps to communicate with each other. With your permission, each app can use specific information from other apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage your health and fitness.”
Apple detailed partnerships with Nike as well as devices from Fitbit, Wahoo Fitness, iHealth and Withings. But the Cupertino-based tech firm also announced it is working with Mayo Clinic, a Minnesota nonprofit, to make the software work best for both doctors and patients, according to a report by Engadget, a web magazine that focuses on technology.
In an example at the conference, the Health app “advised patients of wellness plans set by their doctors and enabled a futuristic approach to healthcare, [in which] doctors and patients interact constantly, in real-time, at [the] very least on a data level,” Engadget reports.
Along with its Health rollout, Apple also briefly mentioned HomeKit, a platform that aims to transform the iPhone into a remote control, turning a house into a smart home. HomeKit, which is also part of iOS 8, will have the capability to control garage doors, thermostats and other home systems, but the company did not elaborate on how the devices will be linked together through the technology.
Written by Emily Study
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