A thing as simple as touch can be a very powerful tool to revolutionize the world and Apple (AAPL, Financial) has proven this many years ago. Apple took the touch feature to a totally different level with the iPhone 5S when it introduced the fingerprint scanner to help unlock the device and make purchases from the App Store. But, what next? Are unlocking and validating purchases the only uses of the fingerprint scanner or is there something more in Apple’s pipeline? The answer is an obvious yes - Healthbook.
What is Healthbook?
The Cupertino based company is looking to redefine the healthcare devices space with its mobile health and fitness tracking facilities to be available in the iOS 8, the new version of the iPhone OS expected to be released this year only. The app will be named “Healthbook” through which the users will be able to monitor and store fitness reports such as calories burned, steps taken and miles walked as well as track weight loss, blood pressure, heart rate and hydration levels. Apart from all this, the app will also have the feature to remind the user to take medications on time, if the user adds information about prescribed medication.
Phone 5S Picture credit: t3.com
What’s going on?
Every year more and more people are becoming health conscious and healthcare is one such industry which I feel can never be in slump. It’s is just brilliant of Apple to embed a hardware in a smartphone which will be able to cash on this opportunity. The iPhone 5S already has the hardware components to support the Healthbook app and once the iOS 8 is released for the next iPhone model and upgrades are available for the iPhone 5S, Apple will be poised to see huge surge in the demand for its devices. Certain incidents such as the top Apple executives meeting the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and former Mashimo Corp. Chief Medical Officer Michael O'Reilly joining Apple are clearly hinting that the company’s mobile health dreams will very soon turn into reality.
Concluding thoughts
There is no point of surprise in what Apple is attempting to achieve. Last year, when the company introduced the iPhone 5S, it has mentioned about the special M7 core used in the A7 processor that has features to track health and fitness of the users. Moving into next gen health and fitness apps has always been in Apple’s to-do list and the iPhone 5S was just the beginning.
With the iOS 8, Apple will be in a much better position to take on the challenges that awaits this epic innovator. Even the much awaited iWatch is expected to have all the health and fitness tracking features. With so much going on, it seems the popular saying “An Apple a day keeps the doctor away” will turn true as the Healthbook app from the iPhone maker will help the user track health issues and take required steps on time.
