Apple crippled watchOS to corner heart-tracking market, doctors say
A group of heart doctors accuses Apple of intentionally limiting heart monitoring capabilities on the Apple Watch to stifle competition. They support AliveCor's appeal, stressing the significance of continuous heart monitoring in healthcare.
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A group of heart doctors has filed an amicus brief with the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, claiming that Apple intentionally degraded the heart monitoring capabilities of the Apple Watch to limit competition in the health-tracking market. The doctors argue that changes made in watchOS 5, specifically replacing the Heart Rate Path Optimizer with a Heart Rate Neural Network and Irregular Rhythm Notifications, resulted in a loss of access to critical heart-rate data for third-party apps like AliveCor's SmartRhythm. This move allegedly hindered continuous heart monitoring and could potentially lead to missed signs of health issues like strokes. The doctors assert that Apple's changes were anticompetitive and negatively impacted healthcare monitoring. Despite a previous dismissal of an antitrust case against Apple related to these changes, the doctors are supporting AliveCor's appeal, emphasizing the importance of continuous heart monitoring for patient care. The ongoing legal battles between Apple and AliveCor involve multiple lawsuits and patent disputes, highlighting the complexities of competition in the wearable health technology sector.
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5 commentsFirst off, are there really a loss of sales of heart monitors because of this? I would think that the only people who had real time heart monitors are those that were given it by a doctor and that would not change with the apple watch given the FDA clearance.
I know for myself, I have no need for a monitor all the time so the apple watch doing anything is a bonus since its nothing or the apple watch at this current time with my health.
It would also be helpful to know why apple made this change in the first place. That is entirely glossed over by the article. Even trying to google this topic the best I can find is that apple believes the new algorithm is better.
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