Apple has launched another in its occasional series of Apple Watch "true stories," this time featuring a runner who says the device first alerting him to a cardiac condition was the key to saving his life.
Tim Cook has often said that ultimately Apple will be remembered most for what it did for people's health. After countless stories of the Apple Watch saving people's lives, Apple has begun sharing short interviews with survivors on its YouTube channel.
The latest is "ECG: Connor's True Apple Watch Story," which consists of this man recounting how much the device means to him. And what it meant when he was running a triathalon, trying to get in shape.
"I was just getting less and less fit the more and more I tried." he said. "Completing quite a difficult triathlon, I noticed my heart rate about 219 beats per minute, which is ridiculous, but I realized I've got an ECG on my watch and it came up saying atrial fibrillation."
As a result, he went to his doctor and ultimately learned that he had an underlying heart condition he was totally unaware of. That diagnosis led to open heart surgery, and Connor says it's now "almost like I've got a new engine."
"I can't say enough good things about the Apple Watch," he continued. "It's amazing."
A previous entry in this new series of videos concentrated on the Apple Watch's Fall Detection. "Phil's True Apple Watch Story" has this Phil recounting a fall from a bike, which broke his collarbone, but the Apple Watch called for help.
Apple Watch's heart monitoring and Fall Detection have saved countless lives, and a huge number have been reported. This new series, though, makes the stories yet more personal because you feel you're getting to know the people involved.
Instead of Apple's typical slick production, these videos are also shot to look as if they were filmed by the people themselves. There are cutaways to example shots of the Apple Watch in action, but the framing and the colors of the rest of the video are just slightly off.
So it won't win prizes for any Shot on iPhone campaign, but there is an immediacy and a truly personal feel to these short videos.
Talking to Apple staff when it was announced that he would be stepping down as CEO, Tim Cook mentioned that it has become almost routine to hear these stories. But what these videos do is really remind you of how startling it is that an Apple Watch does all of this.
"I remember getting the very first Apple Watch note from a user who told me that the watch saved their life," he said. "Now, of course, I get these on a daily basis, but that first one hit me particularly hard. It caused me to just stop in my steps."
