Apple Watch unveils electrocardiogram feature for heart health
Apple is launching two new Apple Watch features on Thursday that could help save lives. An over-the-counter, FDA-cleared electrocardiogram is built into the body of the Apple Watch Series 4. According to Apple, this new test can detect atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats out of rhythm.
Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, often has no symptoms but it can lead to a stroke. The ECG app is one of two new features that tracks it. The other periodically checks a user's heart rhythm and sends an alert if it detects an irregular rhythm.
Apple has sold more than 50 million smart watches since it rolled them out in 2015, and its new feature is tracking a disorder that affects at least 2.7 million Americans.
"You know, we didn't wake up one day and say, 'We made an iPhone and an iPad and now let's go after health care.' It really happened organically," said Apple's chief operating officer Jeff Williams.
Williams said they decided to focus on the heart first because Apple already has more heart rate monitors on people's wrists than anybody else in the world.