I think the Apple Watch is the best (or should I say?) most important device the tech giant makes. It’s amazing for notifications, productivity and fitness but most of all – it’s vital for health and safety.
As I explained on Sky News Weekend Edition in the video above, Apple’s latest Watch campaign includes a couple of Australian survival stories that give compelling reasons as to why having a smartwatch is a good idea.
The two Aussies are Bruce Mildenhall and Lexie Northcott. We spoke with them last week and they had two very different lifesaving experiences with Apple Watch.
BRUCE’S STORY – FALL DETECTION
Back in 2021 Bruce Mildenhall was enjoying his regular bike ride in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges when a Kangaroo hopped out of nowhere.
After hitting a kangaroo and coming off his bike, he was knocked out. Fortunately for Bruce, his Apple Watch detected the fall and notified his emergency contacts and emergency services.
Mildenhall remembers waking up in an ambulance and hearing his wife pounding on the door asking if he was alive. He was taken to hospital where he spent a week recovering from a dislocated shoulder and fractured ribs.
There’s no doubt fall detection helped Mildenhall receive medical attention quickly. Without it, he could have been stuck for hours or days. It’s also important to consider a cellular Apple Watch. It works independently of the iPhone (once setup) but it’s also important to note that a cellular Apple Watch will call 000 even it doesn’t have a plan.
Bruce says he’s fully recovered from his injuries and he’s back on the bike, cycling the same route like a champ.
LEXIE NORTHCOTT – LOW HEART RATE NOTIFICATIONS
This a powerful story about taking the data seriously from your Apple Watch.
In 2019 Lexie Northcott was just 16 when she received an Apple Watch as a birthday present. Soon after wearing the watch she started receiving low heart rate notifications – daily.
As a young and fit person, Lexie dismissed the notifications. But the notifications kept coming, several times a day.
A year after receiving the watch, Lexie was visiting a doctor on another matter when her mother, Karla, mentioned the Apple Watch notifications. The doctor assumed Lexie would be fine considering her age but suggested she get an ECG (electrocardiogram) just to be sure.
A week later things escalated for dramatically.
During the ECG, doctors informed Lexie that she was at extreme risk of heart failure. They rushed to Melbourne where she received heart surgery.
Lexie is doing fine now and admits to feeling safer because of her Apple Watch. Karla (mum) believes the Apple Watch saved her daughters life. Without it, they would not have known to mention a low heart rate concern to doctors.
This is why the Apple Watch is the most important device made by Apple, in my opinion. If your parents are getting older and they have an iPhone, seriously consider getting them an Apple Watch.
There is no downside, just up.