Roger Fingas
Whereas Apple's other recent service announcements are in well-trodden ground, the company "has the potential to lead digital disruption" with healthcare, Morgan Stanley analysts claimed on Monday.
"The central investor debate on the stock is whether Apple can better monetize its 1.4 billion-device installed base in an increasingly crowded mobile services market," the firm said in a research report. "Healthcare is both large - $3.5 trillion addressable US market - and nascent in its digital transformation. So, unlike recent announcements on news, gaming, video, and payments, where Apple is joining existing competitors, healthcare is a market where Apple has the potential to lead digital disruption - much like what iTunes did for music or the App Store for mobile services."
Apple's healthcare strategy "appears to aim for an ecosystem that puts the consumer at the center," it continued. It pointed not just to the Apple Watch, HealthKit, and the iOS Health App, but also ResearchKit and CareKit — which while nominally meant for medical professionals are fundamentally tied into patients' Apple devices.
"Although others have greater capability in artificial intelligence (Google), voice (Amazon), and enterprise cloud (Microsoft), we think Apple's advantages include its outsized user base - particularly in wearables, a proven services platform, and trust as a steward of data privacy.
"Our work indicates that Apple is executing a clear strategy in healthcare," Morgan Stanley concluded.
Apple has amassed a large number of health professionals for products and general research. Many of these people have been focused on heart and fitness issues, but the company is also investigating areas such as sleep and women's reproductive health.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
18 Comments
Yes, but they need to get certified in this industry. Small print waivers from liability is not how it works in many industries. That is why industries hire IT directly and that IT performs selection of technologies. No outsiders who do not have proper credentials. I am just saying. You can write best software and provide best hardware, but if you are not certified or not wanting to take part in liability then you are not going to be major player. Microsoft and few other know about it very well.
Like I stated in another thread recently, I was late to the game, but I finally got my first Apple Watch, and I've been using it for a week now.
Yes, it's great, and it's pretty obvious that healthcare is an area that Apple should be expanding into more and more in the future.
Besides heart rate, ekg, etc., there are many other features that Apple can add, and they are obviously already looking into many of these.
I can't wait to see what the Apple Watch is going to be like in some generations from now, as more sensors and features are added.
What are we waiting for? Disrupt already!