In the past year, Apple has made incredible inroads in the medical industry - according to the opening of their October 4 announcements, 80% of all US hospitals are piloting iPad programs. But how will the new iPhone 4S affect the healthcare industry and how can it better improve the lives of doctors and their patients. Find out what the lack of NFC, the inclusion of artificial intelligence and the new lower price tag for 3GS mean for the medical industry.

1. Apple’s Announcements &
HEALTHCARE

2. Voice Assistance
The most landmark of the Apple
announcements, Siri voice assistance, holds the
promise of a new way to interact with
mobile devices and apps. This development
isn’t just important for busy doctors trying to
keep sterile hands, it’s also a significant
advancement in assistive technology and a
harbinger of things to come.

3. Voice control and dictation isn’t new on
iPhone. iOS already has a primitive
system built in, and many medical apps -
such as Touch Medix Lightning Charts -
integrate their own dictation software.
But Apple’s new voice assistance, Siri, goes far beyond these. With Siri, doctors
can converse with their phones to book appointments, reminders and more.
Plus, the apps ties to WolframAlpha, making it particularly useful for doctors.

4. Paired with iOS 5’s new assistive features,
such as custom gestures, SMS tones and
custom vibration, iPhone 4GS could
become the choice device for
handicapped users.

5. Although there isn’t any current indication that it will happen, it’s
possible that one day all apps could include voice
commands and artificial intelligence, similar to what’s currently
being integrated with Microsoft Kinect.

6. Dual Core A5 Chip
A5 Chip &
Dual Core Apple may have used gaming to showcase their
phone’s new processing power during the
keynote, but this isn’t the only arena where
extra processing power is important. This
development brings the same processing
power to iPhone that has made iPad 2 a
powerhouse in healthcare and means that
MRIs and other images can be viewed more
clearly.

7. 7 x Faster 2 x As Fast
Graphics As iPhone 4
As the regulatory bodies like the
FDA begin to look more closely at
diagnostic apps, and developers
are creating more sophisticated
medical image viewers, this boost
in processing power helps establish
iPhone, and not just iPad, as a true
medical tool.

8. Health Tracking
Goes Mainstream
Nike+ made run tracking easy with its
specialized pedometer and mobile integration,
but mobile health tracking is about to go even
more mainstream as the feature becomes
integrated into iPod Nano. This landmark opens
the doors to encourage more mobile health
tracking, allowing doctors to better
understand our daily activity.

9. iPod Nano represents a
fun, easy and cheap way
for users to track their
activity. With its low cost
and durability, it’s possible
users may start viewing
Nano as a fitness tool
rather than a music player.
Mobile devices hold the potential to
passively record people’s activity and
use positive feedback loops to reinforce
healthy habit. The integration of these
features is a step in the direction of our
mobile device being seen as a
healthcare tool.

10. Lack of NFC
It’s not just about what iPhone 4S has, it’s
about what it DOESN’T have, and NFC is one
glaring omission. NFC has the power to allow
doctors to securely and easily get information
from patients and medical devices. Google
launched NFC in Android earlier this year, but
Apple’s failure to follow spells difficulty for the
technology.

11. Several aspects of NFC,
including its security and
affordability, make it an ideal
way to exchange health data
between doctors and
patients, patients and medical
devices, and more.
Apple holds patents that include
NFC, but their failure to include it
can either been seen as a blow
to the technology, or a boon for
Android. In addition to having
NFC, Android also does not
require certification of
accessories like Apple does.

12. Multiple Carriers
& Cheap Devices
Lots of companies have entered the
smartphone markets with a variety of high- and
low-end products on a range of carriers. This
variety has challenged iPhone. The introduction
of a free 3GS and an additional carrier means
that a doctor can use a high-power device
while his patient can opt for the basics.

13. Apple is successful in the smartphone space, but
globally the company represents only 5% of the
mobile phone market.
There is a large number of people who will be
purchasing smartphones in the next few years and
a free 3GS ups the chance those phones will
be iPhones.
FREE
The introduction of another carrier means
that there’s no pain for users in
switching phones, also upping iPhone
adoption

14. iPhone has been proven to
be one of the best devices
for seniors, and with a
plethora of diabetes,
medication and other
healthcare apps, it holds
great potential.
Until now, iPhone has been
prohibitively expensive for
fixed incomes, but the
discounted 3GS opens new
options. Perhaps one day it
will be even covered by
medicare.

15. Start developing for iPhone 4S today
Download StumbleUpon’s case
study to find out how the company
created an iPad app before the
device’s release
bit.ly/4smhealth