How scientific is Apple Watch?

August 15, 2022

Every year, Apple publishes big, splashy reports about things the company is trying to improve, like its Supplier Responsibility report, its Inclusion & Diversity report and its big Environment report.

These annual reports usually trumpet progress Apple has made in each area, but sometimes highlight setbacks and challenges as well.

Last month, Apple published a new Health report detailing how the company's products and services are improving users' health and fitness.

The report is full of stories about how the Apple Watch saved someone's life, or how big medical research studies have been enabled by wearable technology.

At first glance, it reads like a declaration that Apple Watch is no longer a gadget, but a serious health device.

But our columnist Graham Bower, a self-confessed fitness nut and Apple Watch power user, was suspicious of some of the claims, and decided to take a deeper look. He found it wanting.

For example, to support Apple's claim that “providing an Apple Watch and incentives to participants helped increase their activity by 30-40%,” the report cites an article on the Apple World Today blog that is a writeup of research commissioned by an app developer that makes a watch app that incentivizes people to increase their activity!

Graham found plenty of examples like this, and worse, in Apple's 59-page report. He detailed just some of the problems in today's top story.

Just goes to show, don't believe everything you read -- especially from a company with a keen interest in selling more gadgets.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

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One more thing ...

"If any word -- any word -- of what I'm about to say leaks from this meeting, I will fire everyone, everyone in the room. Look around. Look around the table. I will fire every one of you. " -- Steve Jobs, during a meeting to discuss the famous 1997 MacWorld keynote where he announced a historic deal and investment from archrival Microsoft.

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