Established in 1976, Apple Inc. has become a tech behemoth, and one of the largest companies in the world. Its legacy is associated with some of the most iconic gadgets ever made, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers.

As the company has ventured into the wellness space with popular products like the Apple Watch and its Health app, Apple has signaled its intention to delve deeper into the realm of health and well-being in the future. Let's look at how wellness became a core part of Apple's business and what it means for the company's future.

Apple's Prioritization of Wellness

In an interview on CNBC, CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple's greatest contribution to mankind will be related to "health"—not the iPhone, iPad, or Mac computers. This speaks to the company's desire to become a big—if not the biggest—player in healthcare.

Apple has already made inroads into the health sector by developing and commercializing health-related hardware, software, and services.

The Apple Watch for Wellness

The Apple Watch, accompanied by the Apple Health App, was originally sold as something cool and trendy that you could wear to use apps, communicate, and customize your style. It was cool because it could deliver notifications on your wrist, Inspector Gadget-style.

Over time, Apple realized that the most compelling use case for the Apple Watch was as a health and fitness device. Early versions had basic fitness tracking capabilities, while later models could monitor the intensity of your workout, show how quickly you recover from a workout, allow you to structure your workouts with rest intervals, and receive alerts for things like heart rate, pace, and power.

Combined with other features such as Apple's ever-evolving sleep-tracking app, an enhanced display that offers you more detailed data during your workout, fall detection, and the ability to call 911 in an emergency, it's clear that Apple is continuing to innovate and evolve the potential wellness use cases for its wearable tech across its lineup.

Apple Fitness+ and Other Health Services

Apple Fitness+ is another example of how Apple is using wellness to drive the company's growth. As Apple began diversifying its revenue by prioritizing recurring subscriptions for services, it introduced Apple Fitness+ as a health-focused program for its various devices. Anyone with an Apple Watch (and, in some cases, even without one) can subscribe and receive personalized workout programs across their Apple devices—including Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad.

In addition, the Apple Research app has made it easier than ever for you to participate in large-scale health studies that provide scientists with data they can use to complete research. For most studies, all you need is a phone and a few spare minutes to answer survey questions, which are used to help advance medical science.

As made evident by the success of these products and services, Apple's focus on health and wellness is driven by the growth potential of the industry and the company's desire to enrich people's lives.

How Apple's Approach to Health and Wellness Differs From Other Tech Companies

As a company, Apple brings several unique characteristics to the health and wellness sector, including a design-first culture and a focus on privacy.

Firstly, Apple is known for its design-first culture, which results in products that are simple to use. From the iMac to the latest iPhone, this approach has been part of the reason the company has seen so much success and is what will position it for further success as it develops new health-focused devices.

Another one of Apple's core values is privacy. This includes innovative privacy technologies and techniques designed to minimize how much of your data can be accessed. The company's reputation as a champion of personal privacy bodes well for it in the future, as privacy is an increasingly important concern when it comes to the management and storage of people's personal health data.

Potential Future Developments in Apple's Wellness Offerings

As technology and healthcare continue to evolve, there are many opportunities for Apple to innovate and create new products and services that can help customers improve their health and well-being.

New Health Sensors

As companies look for advantages in a highly competitive space, they continually look for ways to bring new health sensors to the market. Apple is no different. In a podcast published by Outside magazine in 2020, Cook stated that the company continues to test "mind-blowing" capabilities for the Apple Watch.

Expect new and more advanced sensors on future devices that may monitor vital signs such as blood pressure or track specific health conditions.

Expanding Partnerships With Health Providers

Apple may expand its partnerships with health providers and insurance companies to provide more comprehensive health services to its customers. This could include offering telemedicine services or providing customers with easy access to their health records.

New Health and Wellness Services

As AI technology becomes more reliable, Apple may develop new services to help customers manage their health and wellness. This could include AI-powered virtual wellness coaching, mental health services, or even offering personalized nutrition and fitness plans through Apple Fitness+.

Managing Pharmaceuticals

Apple may explore the potential of using technology to simplify the process of tracking, managing, and even delivering medication to patients. In 2023, Amazon launched a similar endeavor with Amazon RxPass.

New Wellness Wearables

Apple could expand its product offerings to include new health-related products, such as wearable devices specifically designed for specific medical conditions like sleep apnea or medical-grade devices for professional use in the healthcare industry such as smart masks. Over the years, rumors have also appeared about AirPods that could track simple metrics, like your heart rate.

Expanding Its Focus on Mental Health

Apple could expand its focus on mental health by adding new features to its products and services that help customers manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

Leveraging AR and VR Capabilities

Apple may expand into the AR and VR space to create an entirely new device. Along with many innovative features for work and play, an Apple AR/VR device could bring new health and wellness experiences for customers, such as virtual therapy sessions or VR fitness classes.

Wellness Will Continue to Drive Apple's Core Business

The health sector was slower to digitize than many other industries, but Apple has the potential to grow this market into a size similar to the App Store, which likely earned the company $10–25 billion in 2021 (Apple paid developers $60 billion and keeps 15–30% of sales).

Apple may not have invented the graphical user interface, the mouse, the personal computer, or even the smartphone, but it did do something no other tech company was able to do: it delivered these products in a way that made people want to use them. Expect nothing less as they endeavor to become one of the world's largest health and wellness technology providers.