If you ask me, smartwatches don’t seem to providing any useful purpose for its users.
I’ve often asked what the purpose of a smartwatch is. Is it just a small notification extension for your phone? Or does it actually do something different?
In Ghana, you don’t see too many people sporting smartwatches. There could be a variety of reasons ranging from the price tag to the point of buying one when you already have a smartphone.
Most people opt for fitness trackers instead. I for one use a FitBit in my daily routines. The overall question one could ask is: What is the point of a smartwatch? Texting replies or getting notifications isn’t really as useful since we already hold on to our phones wherever we go.
Again, what’s the point of these devices?
Well, it seems that smartwatches may have a calling: Healthcare
In recent news, Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has been spotted wearing a special blood sugar tracker on his Apple Watch around the Apple campus. It’s rumored that Apple is gearing up to release a special blood sugar tracker for the Apple Watch for its customers. The tracker will be useful for people who suffer from diabetes. [CNBC]
This is not the first useful application for the Apple smartwatch. Researchers have done studies and have found that Apple Watches can detect heart irregularity with 97 percent accuracy.
Re-Focus On Health Care
There are lots of scenarios in which smartwatches can make healthcare delivery easier. For the elderly, it can be used to track their health statuses and send medical alerts to their next of kin or even emergency services if they are suffer setbacks.
Smartwatches can track stress levels and trigger reminders for taking of prescribed medication. They can even track blood pressure as well.
They can help rehab patients by reminding them of workouts and times they need to keep up their workouts.
Lastly, they could help ordinary users who want to live healthier lifestyles. They can give reminders of when to move after being idle for too long, send diet tips, and daily workout suggestions.
In countries like the United States and Europe, smartwatches can plug into the healthcare system and make life a little better. In Ghana, we may still have to deal with price issues.
But makers of smartwatches can focus on just the healthcare benefits and develop watches for health purposes, we could see a lot more cheaper watches in the future.
Don’t be surprised one day when you read that a smartwatch saved the life of someone who suffered a stroke or heart attack.
