Apple Shares Heartfelt 'Real Stories' From Apple Watch Wearers in Latest Videos

Apple today shared a pair of heartfelt videos titled Real Stories and Real Stories: Michael on its YouTube channel.

apple watch real stories featured
The first video focuses on the Apple Watch's potential to save lives, including a man who crashed while kitesurfing and used his Apple Watch to call his son, a 13-year-old boy whose Apple Watch alerted him to an elevated heart rate, a mother in a car crash who called 911 from her Apple Watch, and a man with blood clots.

"People reach out to Apple all the time to share how Apple Watch has become an indispensable part of their lives," said Apple in the Real Stories video description. "Here are some of their stories."


The second video highlights the story of Michael Jackson, from Duluth, Minnesota, who was born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. One night, he was woken up by an Apple Watch notification about an elevated heart rate, rushed to the emergency room, and found to have sepsis, a potentially fatal condition.

"Many people reach out to Apple to share how receiving heart rate notifications on Apple Watch has helped them recognize and react to serious conditions," the second video description reads. "Here is Michael's story."


The videos coincide with today's release of watchOS 5.1.2, which enables the ECG app on the Apple Watch Series 4 in the United States.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

macduke Avatar
69 months ago
It's too bad these features weren't around a couple years ago. My uncle fell to the ground and died of a massive heart attack nearly two years ago. He was an early adopter of Apple Watch and was wearing it when he died. If it was able to detect irregular heart rhythms and sudden falls back then, he may still be alive today. He was in really good shape and 53 years old. He had just returned from the gym, took a break inside because he was feeling weird, and then after a while got up and decided to go outside and wash his truck. He was like father to me because my actual father is garbage. I'm glad that Apple has developed this technology to help other people not lose loved ones like I did. I just wish it had been developed sooner.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kermetajb Avatar
69 months ago
It depends, if I'm left half assed, I'll take the peace and tranquility of death any day.
I am a nurse practitioner and I can tell you that this particular feature of the new Apple Watch would actually prevent what you are describing. Atrial fibrillation most commonly causes blood clots to form in the heart where they often are pumped up to the brain. This is called a stroke and generally leaves people debilitated, not dead. So, detecting this problem quickly would actually prevent what you fear would happen in the event that someone sought medical care after receiving an alert.

Keep in mind that we have reached a point in medicine where we can generally keep people alive when serious medical conditions occur. People don’t “drop dead” nearly as much as they used to. Again, they usually are just debilitated by a condition that was not treated quickly. So prevention and early detection are key.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
69 months ago
Damn, so much dust in the room right now... or something flew into my eye...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
69 months ago
I’m not really a mean person lol but these stories and these ads I find extremely annoying
Why? I would say these are some of the best ads out there. Stories where they helped save or potentially save a life. Seems like a great way to help sell a product.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philosopherdog Avatar
69 months ago
We are sitting here crying over an Apple Watch ad! I think I need the new one now!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
69 months ago
I wonder if this is a hint that ECG is coming soon.
It was released in today’s update for the US.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...