wearables, smart watch

Can the news media generate new interest in an old tech category?  The Nancy Guthrie disappearance case is, at this point, an apparent tragedy. But hey, is it an opportunity to look at what-might-have-been-useful tech?  Count on the Wall Street Journal to seize the moment, offering ‘guidance’ on monitoring Mom and Dad.  For those WSJ readers with aging parents who were unaware of remote monitoring sensors and or location trackers, how reassuring to know that this tech exists!  And while on the subject, tech can be used to track children! Oh and by the way, tech is available to request a ride without using Uber or Lyft!

January 2026 marks a notable milestone for senior care.  In a few weeks, the oldest baby boomers begin to turn 80-- with a life expectancy of another 8-10 years.  This is as significant a milestone as 2011 was – the year the boomers began to turn 65.  Experts noted at the time that hearing aids might become fashionable (which did happen in the hearables dangling pod market) – and that aging in place might become a trend – no kidding…During the next few years, to pick one example, retailers began to improve lighting, adjust store aisles to accommodate baby boomers in wheelchairs and add more seating in the pharmacy area. Consider changes made by CVS Health to provide more convenient experiences for older adults, including picking up prescriptions via the drive-through.

Baby boomer aging – it’s a big tech opportunity. Today there are 76 million US baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964.  They represent 21 percent of the US population.   73% of all wealth in the United States is concentrated among those over age 55, most of whom are baby boomers.   As the oldest of the baby boomers begin turning 80 in January of 2026, which can generate worry (as in that NY Times post) or be viewed as a market opportunity.   Life expectancy at 65 is on average another 20 years.   Note that 20% of the 65+ today are working.   So what does it all mean?

Maybe it really is time for the 'virtual' AgeTech suite. As HLTH 2024 wrapped up this month, including its plethora of small-scope, standalone AgeTech offerings, look over at the world of Digital Health. A drop in funding precipitated a rethink on the part of some companies – causing them to acquire functionality rather than build it themselves – and saving time and money. Duh.  Looking at the 58 companies that made up the AgeTech exhibit hall at HLTH, they are prime candidates as well for combination into 'virtual' suites. No integration required, just marketing awareness that in the eyes of the ultimate user, family member or reseller, one offering is complementary to another.  And more to the point, that user may need all of them at one point or another, as physical wellbeing, mental capacity, and social connections -- will likely evolve over time.   

The FDA jumps to approve when Apple approaches.  This sounded familiar, and merits a look back to a blog post from September 2018: “When Apple speaks, a puzzled market listens. When Apple announces, industries crane their necks to hear. They announced two features of a new watch, ECG monitoring and fall detection. In July, Tim Cook apparently did not want to get into the world of FDA regulation. Well, that was then – or he just wasn’t saying. In this new watch, both the ECG feature and fall detection have received FDA clearance within 30 days of applying, startling some observers who noted that closer to 150 days was more typical for a medical device. Healthcare observers are concerned that false positives from ECG readings could propel people unnecessarily to already-overloaded Emergency Rooms. To date, the Apple Watch may have been of greatest interest to 40 year old males. Interestingly, 70% of cases of atrial fibrillation are among the 65+ population. Does Apple really want the 65+ population to buy an Apple watch?” Did it happen?

AARP fielded a survey that is worth a look. The topic was health and wellness app usage by the 50+ population. The goal was to understand 50+ level of engagement with health and wellness apps – an online survey that included 694 individuals who owned smartphone or tablet.   Interestingly the 15-minutes survey also includes a response comparison with 40-49 year-olds, likely because that is AARP’s next-up target membership. Responders needed to be comfortable with downloading a health and wellness app -- and have interest in trying them. 

The mindset of ‘get the product out the door’ sets the stage for poor user experience. For market researchers, there are many data-driven ways to gauge consumer preferences today, and tech companies can chose among surveys, interviews, focus groups and customer observation. Product life cycles in newer tech categories are shrinking, with consumers willing to replace devices that still work with newer models, hence the apparent ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ tech cycle. In the future, we will need a new paradigm for tech user experience that can span our multiple interactions, driven by an opt-in profile about preferences and personal characteristics that can better shape interactions.  We will expect that our profile will drive technology access. Today’s fragmented tech experience offers behaviors based on a disconnected set of profiles – a Starbucks profile knows what coffee I like, a Gmail profile knows about my Inbox preferences, and Marriott knows what kind of room or bed is preferred. In the future and with the assistance of conversational AI, the user should be able to override those and specify a profile that spans all tech interactions, acting as a complexity-hiding agent on the user’s behalf.