Apple, IBM tie up to improve lives of elderly

Washington: Apple, IBM and Japanese insurance and bank holding company Japan Post have formed a partnership to improve the lives of elderly people in the country, wierd.com said.

 

The companies have also said that they hope other countries will also follow suit as the world’s population ages. About a quarter of Japan’s population, or more than 33 million people, is over 65, the companies said citing data from Japan's health ministry.

 

Apple CEO Tim Cook, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Japan Post CEO Taizo Nishimuro announced the deal in New York on Thursday. The programme will provide iPads with apps designed to help seniors manage day-to-day lives and keep in touch with family members. IBM will provide cloud services and help create apps to improve seniors’ quality of life, whether that means finding a plumber, keeping in touch with distant family members or remembering to take medications. Cook said Apple strives to make its products accessible and easy to use, and noted that a many of the company’s recent products have focused on health. 

 

Its HealthKit system, for example, allows to share health information such as heart rate or weight with various phone apps to get a more complete picture of user’s health and fitness level.