Apple Watch is not the first with an EKG reader, but it will matter to more consumers – TechCrunch

Apples COO Jeff Williams Proclaimed exuberantly, Apple Watch was the first to obtain FDA clearance as an over-the-counter electrocardiogram (EKG) reader at the special event held Wednesday at Apple's headquarters. Although Apple likes to be the first to do things, this statement is false.

AliveCor holds the title of first since last year for its device KardiaMobile, a stick-shaped metal unit of 100 dollars that you attach to the back of a smartphone. Ironically, she also received FDA clearance for Kardiaband, an ECG reader designed to integrate with Apple Watch and sold in Apple stores, and this week the FDA has licensed AliveCor technology.

However, the Apple Watch could be the first to interest a larger number of consumers. On one side, Apple holds 17% of the global market for portable devices, with an estimated delivery volume of 28 million units in 2018. Although we do not know how many units Kardiaband and AliveCor KardiaMobile have been sold, close to these numbers.

Another thing: many people, even those who suspect that they have heart problems, may have hesitation to get a separate device just to check. The automatic integration allows curious people to start monitoring without buying additional equipment. In addition, while heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and affects a large majority of the world's population, most of us probably do not think about our heart rate every day. The integration of an EKG reader directly into the watch makes surveillance transparent and could eliminate the fear that some might have to know how their heart works.

Then there is the Apple brand, itself. Many hospitals are now collaborating with Apple to use iPads and it is reasonable to think that there might be some collaboration with Watch.

"Doctors, hospital systems, health insurers and self-insured employers do not want to manage separate partnerships with each of the Apple, Xiaomi, Fitbit, Huawei, Garmin, Polar, Samsung, Fossil and all other portable clothing manufacturers. They need a cross-platform product that works for all their patients, "Cardiogram founder and EKG researcher Brandon Ballinger told TechCrunch. "So, if Apple becomes the Apple of health care, a company like Cardiogram or AliveCor can become the microsoft of this space."

How does this Apple ad affect AliveCor? CEO Vic Gundotra shrugs It tells TechCrunch that the vast majority of AliveCor's business comes from KardiaMobile, not the ECG reader built into Apple. "Apple has long hinted that they were building something like that in the device," Gundotra said, "so we anticipated it."