Apple Watch has received a nice bit of publicity in the form of a health notification that may have saved 17 year old Paul Houle, a senior student at Tabor Academy, Massachusetts.
After practice, Houle noticed his heart rate was at 145 and it didn’t change once he got back home. He contacted his doctor, who diagnosed Houle with rhabdomyolysis, a fatal condition (if untreated) that can lead to kidney, liver, and heart failure.
Houle claims if he hadn’t of seen the heart rate on his Apple Watch, he would not have notified the doctor. That is a pretty huge deal considering the condition, and may inspire more health and fitness people to try the smartwatch.
The saving health functionality converted Houle’s father -- originally a skeptic of the Apple Watch -- into a believer. Now the entire family has the Apple Watch.
A few days after the event, Houle was contacted by Apple chief executive Tim Cook, who offered the student a free iPhone and summer internship at the company’s headquarters.
Cook is obviously happy with the positive press, after dismal sales following the first few introductory weeks. Showing the health functionality at work may draw interest from the fitness crowd, currently Fitbit and Jawbone customers.
Apple had a section dedicated to health on the Apple Watch at its September event. AirStrip got on stage to show heart rate for a mother-to-be and her child, how doctors can stay in contact with patients through the smartwatch, and receive automatic health evaluations.
Even with all of these impressive health features, the Apple Watch 2 will be where the company elevates medical functionality to a whole new level. Reports before the smartwatch launch claimed Apple was holding off on some of the health sensors until the second generation.
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Photo Credit: Wayne Williams