Tim Cook hints at new health product, touts iPad Pro as PC replacement in interview
Apple CEO Tim Cook continued his press tour in support of the upcoming iPad Pro on Monday, touting the tablet's workstation and media consumption capabilities in an interview, but also dropped a hint about potential work on a health product unrelated to Apple Watch.
Speaking with UK publication The Telegraph about the future prospects of Apple Watch, Cook said Apple is averse to subjecting the wearable to U.S. health regulations, a tedious process detrimental to fast-paced product refresh cycles. He is not, however, against putting some other product through regulated health testing.
"We don't want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration process. I wouldn't mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long," he said. "But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it -- maybe an app, maybe something else."
In late 2013, Apple executives met with FDA officials over "mobile medical applications," and while those talks remained sealed, Apple Watch was likely the topic of discussion. As smartwatches with health-monitoring capabilities were just reaching market at the time, the wearables segment was largely a gray area for the FDA and other regulatory groups.
Months after Apple Watch debuted, the FDA said Apple's device, and products like it, are unlikely to fall under the body's purview as long as manufacturers do not proffer medical diagnoses. In its current iteration, Apple Watch tracks movement and users' heart rates via specialized onboard sensors.
Adding a bit of color to statements made earlier today, Cook said iPad Pro, with its Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories, could make an ideal PC replacement for many consumers.
"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people," Cook said. "They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."
He went on to say that iPad Pro and Apple Pencil replaces the dedicated drawing pad for creatives, while powerful speakers and a gargantuan display make Apple's latest tablet the ultimate media consumption device.
Speaking with UK publication The Telegraph about the future prospects of Apple Watch, Cook said Apple is averse to subjecting the wearable to U.S. health regulations, a tedious process detrimental to fast-paced product refresh cycles. He is not, however, against putting some other product through regulated health testing.
"We don't want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration process. I wouldn't mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long," he said. "But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it -- maybe an app, maybe something else."
In late 2013, Apple executives met with FDA officials over "mobile medical applications," and while those talks remained sealed, Apple Watch was likely the topic of discussion. As smartwatches with health-monitoring capabilities were just reaching market at the time, the wearables segment was largely a gray area for the FDA and other regulatory groups.
Months after Apple Watch debuted, the FDA said Apple's device, and products like it, are unlikely to fall under the body's purview as long as manufacturers do not proffer medical diagnoses. In its current iteration, Apple Watch tracks movement and users' heart rates via specialized onboard sensors.
Adding a bit of color to statements made earlier today, Cook said iPad Pro, with its Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories, could make an ideal PC replacement for many consumers.
"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people," Cook said. "They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."
He went on to say that iPad Pro and Apple Pencil replaces the dedicated drawing pad for creatives, while powerful speakers and a gargantuan display make Apple's latest tablet the ultimate media consumption device.
Comments
Sensors inside a smart "band" that connects to your Apple Watch. They can take time to get the bands approved (along with the associated App) without affecting Apple Watch product cycles.
People who need additional monitoring (like glucose) can upgrade their Watch with a specific band. People who want basic health/fitness monitoring can just use the Watch "as is".
I like this answer. I wish this would have been Apple's answer when asked about a streaming music service, because right now Apple Music doesn't seem better than everything else that's out there. We don't need a me-too skinny cable package from Apple.
Yup, it was about 16 months ago I predicted here medical bands, for diabetics, etc, that could be subsidized by insurance. That keeps the cost out of the watch while allowing Apple to play in a lower volume market while still netting high margins.
That's a bit of a reach, many people doesn't mean "every people", it doesn't even mean the majority of people.
There are many people for whom a desktop or laptop computer may well be overkill.
There will still be a market for those, even for OS X or its "desktop" descendent, just as there's still a server and mainframe market.
I agree with you 100%! It has been rumored Apple might be releasing additional Watch bands that are more health focused than the Watch, but will work with the Watch.
“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?”, asks Tim Cook,
It's frustrating and annoying that Tim Cook is in the UK giving interviews, yet Apple UK is yet to reveal iPad Pro pricing in the UK two days before its launch here, assuming of course, it is launching this week alongside elsewhere in the world.
£679 for the 32GB model, £899 for 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular.
£79 Apple Pencil & £139 Smart Keyboard
£49 Smart Covers & £65 Silicone Cases
Where did you get these prices from?
As of the time I'm writing this, 23:30 on Monday 9th, there's no pricing available on Apple UK's webpage for the iPad Pro, nor within the iPad Pro section of the Apple Store app.
Where did you get these prices from?
As of the time I'm writing this, 23:30 on Monday 9th, there's no pricing available on Apple UK's webpage for the iPad Pro, nor within the iPad Pro section of the Apple Store app.
Apple's Press Release on the Apple UK website.
who are the other ones?
do they require the use of cable boxes? having just had to use my parents cable box, i can safely say that ill never, ever, have a cable box in my house. im fairly certain apple's service would use the ATV, apps, and not suck.
If Apple doesn't se that, then... It's been s great ride.
I'm all for the Pro. Will be getting a first gen. Rate for me.
But no way in the world will it be replacing my iMac. In fact, I'm hoping to add the next MBP 15" (but still hoping for a 17-18 inch model) to my new tech stable.
My iPad Pro will be primarily for drawing and travel presentation with email, ebooks, web browsing, and a game here or there on my downtime.
But the Mac will be where 99% of the work takes place that actually CREATES what I will use the iPad to present.
The Mac is a HUGE business all by itself.
If Apple doesn't se that, then... It's been s great ride.
I'm all for the Pro. Will be getting a first gen. Rate for me.
But no way in the world will it be replacing my iMac. In fact, I'm hoping to add the next MBP 15" (but still hoping for a 17-18 inch model) to my new tech stable.
My iPad Pro will be primarily for drawing and travel presentation with email, ebooks, web browsing, and a game here or there on my downtime.
But the Mac will be where 99% of the work takes place that actually CREATES what I will use the iPad to present.
""Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people," Cook said. "They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."
You did read that part didn't you? Note, he said many many users, not EVERY user. So, if your workflow requires you to use a workstation-level OS like OSX, then guess what? Use it. Please, take off the tinfoil hat.
For anyone with aging parents (all of us, eventually), this would be a useful way to have peace-of-mind regarding their vital stats from afar. Doing a little research, I found one such app but it requires the wearer to start an Activity on the Watch. I'm looking for something that runs silently -- and without explicit invocation -- in the background and pushes status updates periodically (e.g., every 5 minutes) to anyone who subscribed to those updates.
Hmm... a natural progression: iPod ? iPhone ? iPad ? iProbe.
Well I use DirecTV and I don't think that's sucks. My parents have Comcast and they recently updated their boxes/UI. It's actually quite nice. Here's an example. I like the black interface.
Hmm... a natural progression: iPod ? iPhone ? iPad ? iProbe.
Introducing our most intimate device ever.
It comes with our new "peek and poke" user interface.
Hmm... a natural progression: iPod ? iPhone ? iPad ? iProbe.
^ Winner
I have thought, since the days of the iPod, that those iconic ear buds are the perfect decoy for hearing aids. While the industry is desperately trying to cram sophisticated circuitry into something so tiny that it hides inside your ear canal, Apple could use the entire interior volume of an ear bud, plus the device it's wired to to make a super sensitive and powerful listening experience that no one would know you are using!