Apple Wearables for Health

The Apple Watch is ... what?

Luxury?

That door closed pretty quickly.

Fitness?

Sure.  It does fine there.

What about a health device beyond just fitness?

What about all of those simple to use apple devices as health & wellness technology.

How about $300 billion worth of opportunity?

Here's a part of the story:

Apple Inc.’s health-care ambitions go beyond wearables like the Apple Watch, with the company poised to soon emerge as a leader in consumer health, according to Morgan Stanley.

The company’s health-care market opportunity ranges from at least $15 billion to a whopping $313 billion in revenue by 2027, according to estimates from a team of 14 analysts. The wide difference is appropriate given the early opportunity, they said.

Here is the full story:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-08/apple-s-health-opportunity-could-be-triple-smartphone-market?srnd=technology-vp

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  I read somewhere the medical industry is entirely unprepared for the deluge of data it is about to start receiving.  Patients coming in with a dozen metrics calculated daily for the last year since their previous annual checkup and the M.D. does ... what with that?  Exactly.  The Information Age is upon us and every aspect of our lives is being fundamentally changed.

BRotD - Entry 0257 What Happened to the Wearables?

Best Reading of the Day

This is a great article over on The New York Times.

There's is quite a bit of history there for context.

There is quite a bit about the full-on Apple push in to luxury brands, etc. with the Apple Watch.

There is the current state and directional expectation.

Well worth reading.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

A sudden, striking influx of glamorous non-techies at a tech hub in California. Grumbles about NDAs. Excited, surreptitious glances. Gossip about disruption. A drumroll for a hitherto hush-hush, industry-upsetting announcement.

Sound familiar?

This is not a description of what is happening today at the Apple event in Cupertino, as the company unveils its new video service and television shows (among other things). It is a description of what happened on Sept. 9, 2014, at the Apple event in Cupertino, where the Apple watch was unveiled. For those of us who remember that day, the run-up to this week has provided an eerie sense of déjà vu.

Not to mention a question: What’s the deal with wearables and fashion?

Here is the full article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/fashion/apple-wearables-fashion

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

My Apple Watch and Why I Don't Miss It

I was among the first users of the shiny new Apple Watch when it was released.  My pre-order was successfully entered a few hours after it opened so it took a few weeks before mine arrived.  Since then I've blogged about it with some regularity.

Initial thoughts were quite positive.  I especially liked how I could tailor the notifications to the watch.  My phone would buzz constantly with emails, work emails, and text messages.  If it buzzed at my watch I knew it was important.  Finally, I could set my phone down and forget about it.

The exercise tracking was nice as well.  An always on way to track everything you do.  The results surprised me.  Some of the things I did that wiped me out (snow shoveling) actually didn't burn a massive amount of calories like I thought it did.  However, the simple acts of walking around and doing little tasks like washing the dishes after dinner burned more than I thought.  Really informative.

Then, something happened.

Reports the first version of the watch had an issue with the battery expanding, enlarging, over time resulted in Apple raising the warranty from 1 year to 3.  The battery would get so large it would pop the device apart, never at a convenient time.

At 3 and a half years my watch flew apart during a workout.  That was about 4 months ago and I haven't worn it since.

I don't miss it.

The benefits have mostly run their course and the drawbacks I hadn't really identified while I was wearing it have at last been revealed.

That 15 minute weightlifting workout that I stretched out to ensure I "got credit" for a workout by hitting the 15 minute mark?  Gone.  I do the same work in 10 minutes now.  I don't have to worry about recharging it, or ensuring it is always on so I "get credit" for whatever I'm doing.  I just do it.  If I go on a run I really want to track my times.  My phone is always present so I just use an app there.  It works.

I don't feel I need the Apple Watch any more and I don't really want it.  I do feel it helped me on my journey to get back in shape but that time has passed, I've learned from having its tracking on me all the time, but I no longer see incremental gains from continuing to wear it.

Here is a great little article from 2016 on smart watches, watches in general, and other options such as the little chronos smart attachment for traditional watches:

https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2016/08/24/an-amateur-watch-collectors-thoughts-on-smartwatches-after-wearing-one-for-a-month/

Here's one great little snippet from that piece:

Perhaps the most important factor in deciding whether a watch is worthy of gracing your wrist is whether you miss it when you’re not wearing it. While I found the Pebble to be handy and good at the things it can do, I didn’t mind switching it for one of my analog watches and not receiving notifications or replying to messages with it. Using my phone doesn’t take much longer, and I’m happy to be able to choose a watch that I enjoy looking at.

So the question then changes doesn't it?  Should you buy a smart watch?  Maybe, but not for the reasons you think. If you want to get really extravagant on your spending and buy one of the GPS fully wireless connected smart watches such as the newest Apple Watches then you'll see lots more benefit over my first edition.  That is exorbitantly expensive though and I don't think most people will go that route.  If you aren't really in tune with your body, your movements, your level of activity then pick one up and wear it for a year or two.  You'll learn a lot about yourself. Power users still have some gains to reap from smart watches with the notifications but you can get a lot of that by simple self control.  Limit your screen time.  Period.

Good luck and Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile Payments Update

I've been following mobile payments since I worked in the field a few years ago.  It is interesting in a few ways but mostly because I view it as a leading indicator of overall digital transformation.

Paper money will never die but we are increasingly likely to have our phones with us while having no paper money.

The reason retailers want it is for the digital relationship it enables with their customers.  After all, money isn't broken so what is the real driver of adoption?  Buy 10 coffees at Starbucks and get the 11th for free, that's what is driving adoption.

Here is an update on the state of mobile payment adoption:

https://www.clickz.com/mobile-payments-2019-beyond/222602/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple's New Products 2018

Yawn.

Yes, I've been saying that for years now.  I'm a week removed from the product launch event and still haven't posted anything.

A new iPhone.

A new iPad?

A new iWatch err, I mean, Apple Watch.

This is the result of maturation of the product line and therefore isn't really newsworthy any more.  That is all fine.  Really.

Here we go:

iPhone Alphabet Soup

Who in the world came up with their naming convention for this lineup?  Last year we went from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 to the ... iPhone X.  Heh.  So clever (I have one and it is fantastic).  So where to go now?

The iPhone XS
The iPhone XS Max
The iPhone XR

What? Yeah.  A bigger option.  A cheaper option.  30 minutes more battery life! Faster! Fine. 

"Hey Joe, is that the new iPhone?"

"Yeap!  I love it.  This one is the "ten ess MAX".

"Huh? You mean the X S Max right?"

"Huh?"

Apple Watch Series 4

My Series 1 watch just had a issue.  The watch face, the screen of the tiny computer on my watch, just went flying off during a workout.  I'm on standby considering my options.  Apparently the early batteries had an issue where some would gradually enlarge.  Apple was even forced to increase the warranty from 1 to 3 years.  Mine is 3 and 1/2 years old.  Mmmhmmm.

The Series 4 has a bigger flatter screen and more rounded edges.  Okay.

Here is an article on this subject that provides some details I did not:

https://www.recode.net/2018/9/12/17850362/apple-iphone-xs-event-apple-watch-series-4-airpods

Some reports indicate Apple will announce new iPad and Mac devices later:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2018/09/15/up-next-for-apple-2018-macbook-air-new-ipad-pro/#5070fa843e26

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

The In-Store Shopping Opportunity for Mobile Apps

When I was first imagining the mobile app I would build for regional supermarkets the biggest opportunity I saw was to help reinvent the in-store shopping experience.

Want to find a store?  Don't you already have a favorite supermarket picked out?  Doesn't google do that for you?

After you've been to the store?  What?  Recipes to cook the food you bought?  Sure, but there are a few resources for recipes available already right?

In the store?

Now you're cooking with butter!

(I love that saying)

Walmart is at it in a big way and it is worth following.  With resources I could only dream of they are reimagining the shopping experience.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

With a new mobile app experience, Walmart is hoping to change the way people shop at its brick-and-mortar stores. The multinational retail chain, which now has more than 11,600 stores under 59 banners and ecommerce websites in 11 countries, recently debuted a new mobile app experience that promises to get customers in and out of stores more quickly, reimagining in-person shopping.

Walmart’s new Store Assistant is an all-encompassing mobile app solution...

Here is the full article:

http://streetfightmag.com/2018/02/27/walmart-reimagines-in-store-shopping-experience-with-mobile-update/

Now imagine if none of the past were present and no stores existed today and you wanted to open a store.  What would you do .... today?  Mobile interactions?  Social media interactions?  You bet.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Learning More from Big Losers

If you aren't familiar with the TV Reality show "The Biggest Loser" by now you won't ever be. 

Heavy individuals participate in a program to lose weight through exercise and diet, and the cameras catch all of the "action". 

Okay, not my cup of tea either, but the science behind health & wellness does interest me.

Turns out the body turns itself in to a starvation mode conservation effort when we lose weight.  The result is the body pushes us to gain the pounds right back.  Contestants on the show had to triple, yes TRIPLE their weekly exercise over the average person to just break even.

Very interesting result.

Could you Apple Watch fitness tracker app help with that?  Yeap. 

Read more here:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/to-keep-the-weight-off-biggest-loser-contestants-must-exercise-like-crazy/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch Caught Stealing Signs

RedSox baseball news, and Apple Watch news.

What?

Really?

Yes.

The world she is a changing.

Stealing signs in baseball is where a player somehow "read" the communication between pitcher and catcher to figure out what pitch is coming next.  This is a practice as old as the sport itself.

Do you ever wonder, or have you noticed, pitchers cover their mouths with their gloves when talking with their catchers on the mound?  That's because the San Francisco Giant great Will Clark read the lips of the pitcher and banged another great hit once upon a time.  Changed the game.

Now the RedSox have introduced wearable devices for the same effect, breaking the rules of baseball in the process:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/sports/baseball/boston-red-sox-stealing-signs-yankees.html?mcubz=1

The results?  They've been fined and the practice is discontinued. The amount of the fine is to remain undisclosed and will be donated to hurrican relief in Florida.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20716110/boston-red-sox-new-york-yankees-fined-separately-part-mlb-investigation-sign-stealing

Wow! Tech has taken over sports hasn't it?

Happy ... something,

J.W. Gant

Apple Event 2017

I actually wrote this up quite a while ago but then needed to transfer it to my blog.  Ugh.  My new workflow for this is not pretty, but I'll find a way.

Here goes...

iPhone
Three new phones: the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and … the iPhone X (or “ten”).  I’ll pop an article or two at the bottom of this entry.

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
Think iPhone 7 improved.  Or as one writer noted about the new glass backed phone “now you can shatter the glass on the front AND back of your expensive new phone”.  It is necessary for wireless charging introduced with this version so … okay, fine it looks good too.

iPhone X
This is the one we had heard about and were waiting for and it mostly lived up to the hype.  They basically took the guts of the iPhone 8 Plus and put it in to a form factor like the plain ole 8.  Not huge like the Plus, but with the excellent camera and a greatly improved screen with (finally) OLED technology.  This is a really great phone.

Apple Watch
Fitness and health is the mantra for these wearables and with good reason.  The series 3 mostly improves the software around those with version 4 of the software but also adds an option for LTE connectivity so you can leave your phone at home and still get data, phone calls, etc.  The first time you hail a Lyft ride from your watch you’ll gasp I’m sure.

Apple TV 4K
So now that the whole world of television has gone to 4K resolution Apple is finally following.  Great.  Next.

Not a bad event this year, but, these keynotes are really feeling unnecessary to me.

Here are the articles:
Wired.com has a page with links to a few articles, one for each new product line.
https://www.wired.com/2017/09/apple-iphone-2017-liveblog/

Want to save some money on the new iPhones?
http://fortune.com/2017/09/14/apple-iphone-x-black-friday-deals/

Did Face ID fail on stage?  No, the rehearsal failed, according to Apple
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-face-id-didnt-fail-during-iphone-x-demo/

Payments - Wearable Payments Becoming Standard

I have an Apple Watch and have been using it to make payments for years now.  Starbucks, Dunkin, or using Apple Pay at various retailers who accept it through NFC.

Very cool and I always seem to get a reaction from the people around me too.

Well, this is slowly building up and becoming more common.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

It seems like only yesterday the industry first began mulling in-store, in-app and online payments via mobile devices. Now wearables, including smart watches, fitness trackers and other tags, introduce a whole new wrinkle in the space.

The concept of a wearable as a payment system is not new; Wearables enabled with payment capabilities in closed-loop scenarios, like Disney World's Magic Band or similar wearables associated with cruise ships or music festivals, accounted for 82% of wearable-device payments back in 2015. Visa also had a high-profile rollout of NFC payment-enabled bracelets during the 2016 Summer Olympics last year.

Here is the full story:

http://www.retaildive.com/news/study-wearable-payments-on-the-way-to-mainstream/447879/

Happy Reading

J.W. Gant

Apple's WWDC 2017

The Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) Apple holds every year is an opportunity for the folks in Cupertino to showcase their software work, but has recently been a source for hardware announcements as well.

I think we are seeing the end of the big event announcements from Apple as their new products have been underwhelming year after year.

At this year's conference we saw a slew of software updates such as the new iOS as well as upgrades to hardware and Apple's first new hardware in over 2 years.

I'll capture a bit of the news and provide links for further reading.

The biggest news is a great point of focus to help us see how different Apple is under CEO Cook vs. the days under Jobs.  Cook was the supply chain guy at Apple so why should we expect great creative new product breakthroughs?  Incremental work is what you'd expect from such a leader and that's what we've seen.  Take, for example, the announcement of the Apple HomePod.  This is their competitor to the Amazon and Google devices, the Amazon Echo and Google Home, that have both been quite successful.

Apple HomePod

In the old days under Jobs Apple would have been 2nd or 3rd to the market, exactly as they've done here, but they would have taken the time to learn what works & what doesn't to provide an entry that blows away the competitors.  This device is underwhelming in every way including the name.  Only in one way does it retain the Apple method of old: its the most expensive version of such devices.  This time, however, it isn't nearly worth the price.

Anything Else?

Sure.  Updates to iOS.  An incremental set of changes to the iPad Pro that make it more like the Microsoft Surface tablets (yet still well short).  A super expensive MAC and new MacOS.

Anyway, to read on check out the folks at Re/Code.  As usual their write-up is excellent:

https://www.recode.net/2017/6/5/15740882/wwdc-2017-need-to-know-apple-ios-watchos-mac-ipad-siri

You should read this piece on why one analyst misses Steve Jobs:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/i-miss-steve-jobs-and-his-reality-distortion-field/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch is the Best Fitness Tracker

Well, specifically best at a couple things.  Namely heart rate and calorie burn measurements.

I can state I rely on mine for the calorie burn feature and have seen a few studies supporting this conclusion.

What you should know is some of these devices do a really poor job at this.

Read more here:

https://watchaware.com/post/20292/study-apple-watch-best-measures-heart-rate-calorie-burn

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch Update

These sort of Apple announcements don't usually provide enough to bother posting in here, but this update had one little feature that I just loved.

A "Theater" setting on the Apple Watch.

I've enjoyed my Watch, a lot, since it came out but one annoyance has been ridiculous. The use of the watch in a movie theater.

Yes, I'm one of those sticklers for turning everything off before the movie starts, and for loudly proclaiming the same to everyone sitting around me.  The Watch lights up when you raise your wrist and there has been absolutely no way to disable that feature, until now.  I've taken to turning my Watch completely off at the start of a movie, or removing it from my wrist and putting it in a jacket pocket, that makes me scared I'll lose it in the theater.

No more.

Oh, and there are other features in the update as well.  Read on:

https://watchaware.com/post/19889/watchos-3-2-theater-mode-sirikit

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  This is just one more example of how far behind Apple's software lags behind its hardware.  Ridiculous this has taken so long to get in place.

Do Wearable Devices Hurt Weight Loss?

Incredible finding, though the causation piece is still a long way from being understood.

A 2 year study finds folks who use activity trackers are less effective at losing weight and keeping off than others who merely log their efforts on a website.

Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/well/activity-trackers-may-undermine-weight-loss-efforts.html?_r=0

Here is a snippet from the piece:

“We were pretty confident” that the volunteers in the group using the activity monitors would exercise more, monitor their calorie intake better, and lose more weight than the people in the self-monitoring group, says John Jakicic, a distinguished professor in the department of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh and the study’s lead author.

Now, I have the Apple Watch and am quite happy with the activity tracking.  Very curious to see where this goes. I'll go ahead and call it ... you shouldn't abandon these just yet.  Lets see what we can learn as wearable devices go mainstream.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Event

Ahhh September.  Remember when we couldn't wait to hear the latest from Cupertino about their magical devices?  Those days seem long gone but there is still considerable buzz generated when Apple puts on a show.

New iPhone, the 7, with a new Apple Watch, the Series 2, and a whole slew of other goodies await...

Apple Watch

Looks just like the first one, on my wrist now, but with some internal enhancements.  Water resistance is official now, still square, GPS built in (nice) and ... wait for it ... Pokemon Go on the watch.  What?  Okay, maybe that'll get a few folks excited.

White ceramic is a new material choice.

Folks are noticing a definite slant away from luxury brand and towards fitness with this offering.  Looks like Apple has learned from usage over the last 18 months (I've used mine heavily for health and wellness but couldn't care less about the luxury portion).

Nike got out of the hardware business a while ago but they are back in through a partnership with Apple.  The Nike Apple Watch+

By the way, what is missing here?  The Apple Watch "Edition" that was priced over $10,000.  Looks like the move towards luxury was a mistake for the product line and Apple is making the correction.  The Ceramic watch replaces the Edition but is priced at about $1,200.

Read on:
http://www.recode.net/2016/9/7/12837144/apple-watch-os-updates-new-features-apple-event

Apple iPhone 7

A jet black option.

Nice new camera work.  Faster, better, more amazing.  The phone is as well.

They finally upped the storage in this.  The base 16 GB is now gone, with a new standard at 32 GB.  That is almost mandatory given the 4K video we now have on these phones. Next step up is also incrementally increased.  No more 64 GB option, rather you go straight to 128 GB. Great for us power users.

The biggest news ... the headphone jack is gone.  Gone!  After many many decades.  You will get a set of bluetooth connected headphones, in-ear style.  You'll also get a dongle to plug "old" headphone jacks in through the one remaining opening, the lightning jack.  Want to listen to music in the airport while your iPhone charges?  Good luck.  I basically hate this decision, but I also understand what it opens up for Apple going forward.  Just seems arrogant to me.

Oh, that fancy Jet Black option?  Apple says it will likely scratch easily so they recommend buying a case for it.  Yes.  They did that.

Apple Pay is coming to Japan.  Apparently they use a particular protocol there that wasn't supported.  It will be now.

Further reading?

http://www.recode.net/2016/9/7/12837562/iphone-7-camera-airpods

iPad

Basic updates to their iPad and Pro lines.  Mostly focused on upping the storage, just like the iPhone, to a 32 GB base.

No Apple TV news.  That thing just isn't working out is it?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch 2.0

I mostly avoid efforts to guess where tech companies are going to go with their products.  This one, however, is an interesting read especially because wearables are such a unique area.  My Apple Watch 1.0 has been very good to me and I'm curious where they are going to go with the next offering.

Here is Bloomberg's story on Apple's efforts for the next iteration of their smart watch:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-18/apple-said-to-hit-roadblocks-in-cutting-watch-ties-to-iphone

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Apple Inc. has hit roadblocks in making major changes that would connect its Watch to cellular networks and make it less dependent on the iPhone, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company still plans to announce new watch models this fall boasting improvements to health tracking.

The updated versions will also be able to integrate GPS-based location tracking, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch Saves Another Life

We laugh at these things now, but this is deadly serious.

What if simply wearing a watch could tell you if you are about to die and give you enough notification to do something about it?  Science fiction?  Nope.  On my wrist right now.

The Apple Watch.

Here is a snippet:

“Along with the shortness of breath, I could feel my heart racing in my chest. Stopping to talk to a colleague on the way to my office, the mere act of speaking left me practically gasping for air. I cut the conversation short and continued to my office. Sitting still made me feel better, but not great.

It was then I thought about the heart rate sensor on my Apple Watch. I opened the Heart Rate app, curious to see if my heart rate was actually elevated or if it was just my imagination. It read 118 beats per minute. Definitely not my imagination—my normal resting heart rate is in the low 70s.”

Read on:

http://watchaware.com/post/17679/the-apple-watch-saves-another-life

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple WWDC Underwhelms

Another Apple event underwhelms. Me too?  Yeap.

Not too surprising.  Seems the innovation edge is on pause at Apple right now.

Read more:

http://thenextweb.com/apple/2016/06/13/wwdc-apple-disguises-fun-innovation/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

This year’s keynote felt like an afterthought, full of announcement for features all too familiar to many of us who regularly pay attention the the tech industry. Try as it might to spin them as new, Apple’s announcements this year were just a bunch of “me too” moves inspired by competitors and popular apps.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch Apps Not Happening

New data on the development front is quite interesting.

Very, very few new apps for the iPhone are also providing a watch app companion.  Not a good sign when you are Apple trying to get a new platform up and running.

Read on:

http://watchaware.com/post/17232/realm-developers-losing-interest-in-the-apple-watch

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple March Event

Hello Tech Fans,

The March Apple event is in the books (with a bit of a disagreement continuing between Apple and the U.S. Government on privacy).  I see nothing that will impact most industries.  The "CareKit" open source software Apple has provided will provide new potential for those looking to create health and wellness apps.

I'm a big fan of the work the folks over at ArsTechnica do so be sure to check out their posts if you want any more information on the items I'm about to cover:

http://arstechnica.com/

Their live blog for the event had been captured in its entirety here:

http://live.arstechnica.com/apples-march-2016-event/

The news.

Smaller iPhone
If you still like the smaller 4" form factor of the iPhone before they got big with the 6 (and really big with the 6 Plus), and you don't need every new feature in the latest phone, and you would prefer to save a few bucks, then the news on the iPhone SE should make you happy.

Smaller iPad Pro
Wait, I thought the point of the iPad Pro was it is really big and can replace your laptop?  So now they have a 9.7" iPad Pro, that absolutely is NOT a fancy version of the 9.7" iPad Air 2.  Right?  Right.  Got it.

iOS 9.3
This will be a nice improvement for home users for one big reason: support for nighttime reading.  The dim settings will now be custom designed to prevent any issues with reading in bed on your iPad just before you (try) to get to sleep.

Anything Else?
Nahh, not really. We don't need to read about more Apple Watch bands do we?  Nope. Nor about how great the Apple TV is?  Didn't think so.

See you in the summer for more Apple news.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant