The Mac. The ipod. The iPhone.
Apple has made some pretty significant contributions to the way we experience personal technology. In fact, I think it is easy to argue that Apple’s greatest legacy is its products. All three of these products completely defined their categories and affected every attempt to pursue their successful paths.
For example, there is really no doubt that the iPhone is one of the most remarkable inventions of the last 20 years. Besides the personal computer, this is perhaps the most revolutionary piece of technology ever. It completely changed the way we connect and communicate with the world around us in ways that were unimaginable before it was introduced on stage by Steve Jobs in 2007.
Or maybe Apple is known as a privacy champion. The company has taken a very public stance against many of the practices of other technology companies that track user information and monetize it through targeted advertising. Apple’s view that privacy is “a fundamental human right” has not only benefited consumers but has also raised awareness about how much of our data is collected by the apps and services we use every day. Certainly that is a noble contribution.
However, Tim Cook says it’s not one of those things that will determine Apple’s legacy, at least in terms of what people think was the biggest contributor. As the CEO of the world’s most valuable company, it’s intriguing to hear what he believes Apple will be known for when people look back twenty or fifty years from now.
In an interview with Outside magazine, Cook reiterated what he said earlier about the main contribution Apple believes it will make:
“I really believe,” he adds, “that if you zoom out to the future and then look back and ask,” What’s been Apple’s biggest contribution? ” it will be in the health and wellness area. “
I think there is certainly an argument to be made that Apple has done more to increase the amount of information people now have about their own well-being. A recent report by analyst Above Avalon suggests that there are now 100 million Apple Watch users and that 35 percent of Americans who own an iPhone also have an Apple Watch on their wrist.
The Apple Watch in particular has made it possible to track all kinds of data in a way that was simply inaccessible before. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other devices that can help you track your fitness, but there aren’t any that integrate so deeply with the iPhone – a device used by more than 1 billion people today.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Fitness +, a subscription service that uses your Apple Watch to track your activity while participating in video workouts. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you consider that most people have had to drastically change their routine during stay-at-home orders and closings, making this type of service so readily available is a clear win.
Few companies have the existing platform or scale to push the needle in health and wellness the way Apple can. The company is working with healthcare providers and researchers on everything from heart tests to detecting Covid-19 up to a week earlier.
Finally, the privacy obligation may have as much to do with it as anything else. There is something to be said for a company that has built a reputation for protecting user data, which is not unimportant if you are wearing a device that is constantly generating data about what you do and how your body responds.
It is certainly a valuable contribution to leveraging that reputation and its scale to give people a better understanding of their health and give them actionable information to do something about it.