At long last, Apple's HealthKit is operational.
Company officials quietly made the announcement this past weekend, after yanking the app from its App Store due to "glitches." HealthKit is now supported in the iOS 8.0.2 update - which was rushed out late last week after problems were found with the iOS 8.0.1 update.
HealthKit, which is designed to collect health data from various apps and make it available in Apple's new Health app for both users and healthcare providers, has been touted as a transformative moment in the evolution of mHealth. Company officials say it addresses two of the most pressing questions in the industry today – how to pull data from consumer-facing devices and make is easy-to-access and meaningful for healthcare providers.
"Developers have created a vast array of healthcare devices and accompanying applications, everything from monitoring your activity level, to your heart rate, to your weight, and chronic medical conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes," Apple Senior Vice President Craig Federighi announced at the company's developers' conference in June. But "you can’t get a single comprehensive picture of your health situation. Now you can, with HealthKit. HealthKit provides a single place that applications can contribute to a composite profile of your activity and health."
As reported in Forbes, the delay in releasing HealthKit may dampen enthusiasm for the product, and could prompt app developers to hold off for a while. Developers weren't allowed to submit HealthKit-compatible apps to the App Store until late last week, which in turn will delay rewriting, testing and submitting the apps for Apple's approval.
Still, the future looks shiny for Apple's first healthcare-specific venture.
"What the iPod did for the music industry, HealthKit is starting to do for the healthcare industry, affecting the business model and business strategy of health and wellness apps, hospitals, doctors, lab test results companies and health insurance companies," MedWhat CEO Arturo Devesa told Tech Times.
Related articles:
Apple Watch: All hype or some hope for healthcare?
BlackBerry courting healthcare with Passport phone
Q&A: How Apple and IBM envision hopsitals using the mobile-first platform
