Apple's health initiatives like Apple Watch, HealthKit and the iOS Health app are the focus of a new comedic short produced by late night talkshow Conan, which on Wednesday used the products to mock comments a GOP representative made about the nation's affordable healthcare plan.
The minute-long spoof, posted to Conan's YouTube channel, is made to appear like Apple ad, with actors showing off the company's products both in the wild and the usual stark white room.
Interestingly, the skit's voiceover starts out sounding very much like a typical Apple commercial. Though not as polished as the tech giant's copy, the Conan version says, "At Apple, we don't think you should have to choose between an iPhone and quality healthcare, because you can have both. With apps like Apple Health you can monitor your fitness and create your own medical ID."
Then things get whacky. Conan imagines an iPhone that can assist with eye, ear and throat exams, and act as a thermometer with "five-day internal forecast." Using other Apple devices like iPad and a third-generation Apple TV remote, the faux spot says the company's product line can provide both common and advanced diagnostics services.
Some of the more humorous examples include emergency blood transfusions using an iPad and an iOS device charger, a patellar reflex test using an iPad reflex hammer and colorectal health exams with an iPhone camera.
The piece is a sendup of recent comments made by Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who on Tuesday attempted to explain the GOP's forthcoming healthcare plan by comparing its price to that of an iPhone.
"Well, we're getting rid of the individual mandate," Chaffetz said in an interview with CNN. "Americans have choices, and they've got to make a choice. So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care."