Apple’s Latest Event Highlights Its Continued Bet On Healthcare

Apple’s latest event highlighted the company’s continued interest in personal health monitoring. In what was termed as the “iPhone 16 event,” the company went far beyond just announcing its new iPhone models, but also showcased key health features that will be available with the newest models of the Apple Watch and AirPods.

Specifically, the company announced that the latest Apple Watch will now be able to help users track sleep apnea, leveraging a new metric called “Breathing Disturbances.” The technology is unprecedented, and will leverage the device’s accelerometer to detect movements that indicate interruptions to normal respiratory patterns of sleep. Armed with this data, users will be able to understand their sleep metrics longitudinally and undertake more informed conversations and ascertain potential interventions with their physicians.

Why is this important? Aside from individuals not being able to get rest and fully recuperate, sleep apnea is also one of the leading causes of long term health issues. In fact, it is among the most prominent causes of heart failure, chronic hypertension and arrhythmias.

Now, with the comprehensive ecosystem of the Apple Watch, users will be able to better understand and take control of their sleep patterns.

Another key feature Apple announced this week was a ground-breaking leap in hearing technology with its AirPods. Apple launched its own hearing study in collaboration with the University of Michigan and the World Health Organization to better understand headphone listening patterns, the impact of environmental sound exposures for hearing health, the relationship between hearing and cardiovascular health and other parameters.

The company has seen rapid adoption of its AirPod devices globally— known for their noise cancellation features and high fidelity sound quality. Now, Apple has announced that the AirPods Pro will provide “Hearing Protection” which will “actively reduce louder, more intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second.” Furthermore, Apple is also launching a clinical-grade hearing test via AirPods so users can understand the state of their hearing and potential hearing loss in each ear. Similar to the Apple Watch, this information can be collected to discuss with a physician to better ascertain appropriate interventions.

Finally, AirPods Pro will also now be able to be used as clinical grade hearing aids. This means that users can setup the headphones and customize them to boost sounds around them. As Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s Senior Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives states, “These features on AirPods Pro will make an impact on so many people by driving more awareness around hearing health and empowering individuals with new customizable tools to help them stay connected.”

Though the specific technologies behind hearing aids and sleep apnea detection are not new, the introduction of these features in mainstream wearable devices that are consumer friendly and have high brand loyalty is unprecedented. The Apple Watch and AirPods are some of the highest selling products in the company’s arsenal already— and now, the company is ramping up with even more useful features.

Apple certainly isn’t the only company that is investing significant resources into the personal devices and health monitoring market. Google’s Pixel Watch also has a loyal following, and can track heart rate, has an ECG function, can ascertain the user’s blood oxygen levels and can even reach out to emergency services if a fall is detected. Another device that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years is the Oura Ring, which uses proprietary technology for heart rate monitoring, sleep pattern detection and temperature measurements.

As the competition in this arena grows, companies are having to rapidly innovate with the features they offer and how they can best serve consumers. The key behind these devices will be to ensure that the data collected is maintained with the highest standards of privacy, security and consumer protection in mind. Nevertheless, if executed correctly, these devices have significant potential to positively impact personal health monitoring.