Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Watch Already Facing Questions Concerning User Privacy
Though it won't be released until early 2015, Apple's new wearable device is already facing public scrutiny over privacy issues. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking several questions about how the Apple Watch will operate and requesting a meeting with Apple representatives.
In the letter, Jepsen addresses several issues he has with the Apple Watch, and requests that Apple explains what data the device will collect and how the information will be stored, along with its policies on apps that access health information.
In the document, Apple says that HealthKit information will not be stored in iCloud and that apps attempting to store health data in iCloud will be rejected. It also states that apps will not be able to share data with third parties without express user consent and that all apps that provide diagnoses or treatment advice will be rejected.
Introduced on September 9, the Apple Watch is designed to be both fashionable and functional, aiming to encourage its users to be more active. It includes an accelerometer and four lenses designed to monitor heart rate, with the information collected displayed in several accompanying fitness apps. The heart rate and fitness data will also likely integrate with the Health app in iOS 8, which is designed to aggregate health and fitness data from a wide range of devices that have taken advantage of the HealthKit API.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
In the letter, Jepsen addresses several issues he has with the Apple Watch, and requests that Apple explains what data the device will collect and how the information will be stored, along with its policies on apps that access health information.
In his letter, the Attorney General noted several areas of concern, including:Many of these questions actually seem to pertain more to Apple's HealthKit APIs, and several of the answers to Jepson's questions are detailed in Apple's Review Guidelines for developers that was updated in June.
-Whether Apple will allow consumers to store personal and health information on Apple Watch itself and/or on its servers, and if so, how information will be safeguarded;
-If and how Apple will review application privacy policies to ensure that users' health information is safeguarded;
-If and how Apple intends to enforce policies that require the rejection of applications that provide diagnoses, treatment advice, or control hardware designed to diagnose or treat medical conditions that do not provide written regulatory approval;
-What information Apple Watch and its applications will collect from users, and how Apple and application developers will obtain consent to collect and share such information from these individuals; and
-How Apple intends to monitor and enforce applications' compliance with its guidelines concerning users' health information.
In the document, Apple says that HealthKit information will not be stored in iCloud and that apps attempting to store health data in iCloud will be rejected. It also states that apps will not be able to share data with third parties without express user consent and that all apps that provide diagnoses or treatment advice will be rejected.
Introduced on September 9, the Apple Watch is designed to be both fashionable and functional, aiming to encourage its users to be more active. It includes an accelerometer and four lenses designed to monitor heart rate, with the information collected displayed in several accompanying fitness apps. The heart rate and fitness data will also likely integrate with the Health app in iOS 8, which is designed to aggregate health and fitness data from a wide range of devices that have taken advantage of the HealthKit API.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
[ 182 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
65 months ago
And no one blinked an eye when Samsung released their smartwatches with similar sensors?...
65 months ago
Suggested Title Edit:
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen Sends Letter to Tim Cook in Attempt to Remain Relevant in Public Eye as Mid-Term Elections Near
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen Sends Letter to Tim Cook in Attempt to Remain Relevant in Public Eye as Mid-Term Elections Near
65 months ago
And no one blinked an eye when Samsung released their smartwatches with similar sensors?...
That's because people will actually buy the Apple ones.
65 months ago
Honestly I am more concerned with the Feds than the folks at Apple.
Cause we know that those guys don't give a damn about our privacy here in the States.
Cause we know that those guys don't give a damn about our privacy here in the States.
65 months ago
Government concern
Funny how a government can ask questions, but then someone like Lois Lerner and the IRS can lose an entire hard drive with valuable and likely incriminating evidence without most people caring.
Apple has all the incentive to keep peoples data secure. The government does not and that's not good.
Funny how a government can ask questions, but then someone like Lois Lerner and the IRS can lose an entire hard drive with valuable and likely incriminating evidence without most people caring.
Apple has all the incentive to keep peoples data secure. The government does not and that's not good.
65 months ago
Is it me or does this seem a bit premature on the part of the Attorney General? I mean really, the device isn't even out yet and won't be for months? Just seems like grandstanding and throwing his weight around - "requesting a meeting with Apple representatives".
As others have said, what about the watches already on the market? Not to mention all the other fitness trackers?
As others have said, what about the watches already on the market? Not to mention all the other fitness trackers?
65 months ago
He must be a Democrat. Always looking for ways to insert government control into your private business.
[ Read All Comments ]
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Vessel to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Signature 2.0 Backpack.
Vessel makes all kinds of backpacks, briefcases, and bags, but...
Discounts on the latest iMacs remain ongoing this month, with Amazon and B&H Photo now offering a new all-time-low price on the 27-inch Retina iMac with 8GB RAM and a 1TB Fusion Drive. This model...
Google and Apple calendars are not playing friendly right now.
As alerted to us by multiple MacRumors readers, there appears to be a syncing issue with Google Calendar and Apple's...
Apple Music today launched a new curated playlist called "New Music Daily," which as the name suggests, is updated every day with fresh songs.
Made up of "new music you simply...
Taylor Swift revealed today on Instagram that she will be the next partner in Apple's "Music Lab" sessions, which are available in Apple retail stores.
The Music Lab session will...
Satechi today announced the Type-C Dual Multimedia Adapter, which plugs into two of the MacBook Pro's USB-C ports to offer a handful of add-on ports.
In total, this includes: one 4K HDMI...
Spotify today announced that it is extending its free-trial period for Spotify Premium to three months, up from the previous one month that users would have to try out the paid service. With this...
OtterBox today announced a new expandable wireless charging system that it calls "OtterSpot," which includes one charging base that can power up multiple batteries and a smartphone...
