9/12 Apple Event: Upgrade Guide & Investment Insight
Apple’s September 12th 2018 event revealed a new Apple watch and iPhones. Although the star of the show is always the iPhone, the new Series 4 Watch helps Apple position itself for some significant future integrations with the medical industry.
So why read my post-event write-up? Everyone loves a good upgrade guide, but my little twist (from a technologist and investor standpoint) will be to throw in investment insights.
The Apple Watch Series 4
Upgrade or not? If you have the Series 1 (first generation) Apple Watch, yes, it’s worth the upgrade. Especially if you need the cellular functionality, ability to swim with it, want it less bulky (it’s thinner), are frustrated with your series 1 running slow, and want your battery to last longer than half a day. If you know me, you know my technology upgrade rule of thumb, skip a minimum of 2 generations (for iPhones double that because they do those naughty half “s” releases).
“…my technology upgrade rule of thumb, skip a minimum of 2 generations”
The iPhone Xs
From a purely aesthetic and emotional standpoint, if you’ve always wanted a black and gold iPhone (like I have), this is the first one ever, so buy it! Now from a logical standpoint, if your current iPhone model is an iPhone 6s or lower, definitely buy it. The features and design refinements are significant enough to warrant an upgrade.
Here is a quick hit list of the improvements from an iPhone 6s:
- Better camera
- Better screen (OLED)
- Wireless charging
- Face ID
- Faster hardware
- Gigabit LTE
- Dual Sim
- New look & feel
The iPhone Xr
Real talk, don’t care about this one. It seems Apple didn’t either, given their 2 minute presentation about it. It’s an odd addition to the lineup, especially when they are continuing to sell the iPhone 7, 8 and X.
I’m bullish about Apple, here is why.
Now, for you investors out there, let’s get into what I saw during the event that was interesting from an investment standpoint.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, the iPhone Xs is a great phone, better in every way and always the star of the show. But since the last apple event, I’ve felt the watch is the true unsung hero.
The Apple Watch is probably the single most intimate device in the apple ecosystem. It knows a user’s habits, movements, injuries, and overall cardiovascular health. This data is stored in Apple’s health app. I think the company is heavily gaining individual health data which may lead to its technology and innovations beginning to integrate with medical service providers.
Jeff Williams (Apple’s COO), had an important point when he spoke in regards to the ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality in the Series 4 Apple Watch, “People in general don’t like things that are medical, but this [referring to the Apple Watch UI] kind of makes you want to take an ECG.”
Good user experiences aren’t something you associate with anything medical, but Apple is focused on changing that from the consumer products standpoint. This is coming at an opportune time, because medical providers are finally realizing that the patient experience really does matter. Better care, and reduced costs. It’s a win-win.
This all leads me to believe that Apple’s technology will be a key catalyst in taking medical health records and telemedicine to the next level. Imagine meeting with your doctor for a routine exam from the comfort of your home, having the doctor remotely run a vital body scan via the Apple Watch and having your Health App data on your iPhone automatically sync the results with the medical provider’s medical health records. Epic!
“Apple’s technology will be a key catalyst in taking medical health records and telemedicine to the next level.”
With Apple’s commitment to data privacy and security, they are the only publicly traded tech company, unlike Amazon and Google, that I’m personally willing to trust with my medical and health data. From an investment standpoint, I believe Apple is perfectly positioned for some very profitable gains in the future of medicine. Now go buy some Apple stock.
PS> If you are wondering what I use to buy stock, it’s Robinhood.
