“On Wednesday, Apple’s biggest surprise wasn’t new phones, but a new feature in the forthcoming Apple Watch Series 4 — the ability to run an electrocardiogram (ECG) test just by placing your finger on a button,” Kif Leswing writes for Business Insider.
“Over at the headquarters of AliveCor, a startup based in Google’s hometown of Mountain View, they, too, were surprised by the announcement, CEO Vic Gundotra said in a phone interview on Thursday. Gundotra is a former Googler, widely known as the executive behind the Google+ social network,” Leswing writes. “Specifically, Gundotra says that his company was confused by Apple’s claims that the Series 4 will be the first over-the-counter ECG testing device for consumers.”
“‘We were watching [the announcement], and we were surprised,’ Gundotra said. ‘It was amazing, it was like us being on stage, with the thing we’ve been doing for 7 years,’ referring to AliveCor’s product for detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib), a tough-to-spot heart disorder that manifests as an irregular, often quick heart rate that can cause poor circulation,” Leswing writes. “‘Although when they said they were first to go over-the-counter, we were surprised,’ he continued. ‘Apple doesn’t like to admit they copy anyone, even in the smallest things. Their own version of alternative facts.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Poor Vic sounds more than a little butthurt over getting Sherlocked and one-upped.
The fact is that the only one employing “alternative facts” is Vic Gundotra:
Have clarity on this — Alivecor is available to buy over the counter or online, but a doctor reviews the first ECG to “unlock” it within 24 hours. After that, immediate results. Apple has clearance from FDA to deliver that reading to consumers right away. — Christina Farr
Have clarity on this — Alivecor is available to buy over the counter or online, but a doctor reviews the first ECG to "unlock" it within 24 hours. After that, immediate results. Apple has clearance from FDA to deliver that reading to consumers right away.https://t.co/20679iJ3Cj
— Christina Farr (@chrissyfarr) September 12, 2018
SEE ALSO:
Google VP Gundotra: Uh, that stuff I spewed about Apple, I didn’t really mean it – May 26, 2010
Google’s laughable anti-Apple tantrum: Hubris or fear? – May 22, 2010
Google: Android created to try to stop ‘draconian’ Apple-dominated future – May 20, 2010
Google’s embarrassing demo: iPad vs. Android device (with video) – May 20, 2010
Apple should have said “Series 4 will be the first over-the-counter ECG testing device for consumers that will actually be used by millions of people by the end of 2018”.
I’m sure Vic Gordita will state they were the first to implement a payment system, regardless of the google half a**ed implementation. When Apple glasses comes out and when it is done right, I’m sure Vic Gordita will say Apple copies again because the google glass was out years and years before, regardless of it being shelved. We can go on and on and on and on and on about this subject. Hey Vic, you have 80% market share in fragmentdroid, that half a**ed OS for the majority budget crowd, and Apple haters, of course, why not take your time and release things of quality instead of being, “first to market”? You guys are still looking up to scamscums tactics, even long after scamscum imploded……, Geeeeeeez *facepalm*
First to market rarely wins the race and makes all the money.
Just look at Tesla, they had a 3 year advantage over the whole car industry who have now caught up and starting to overtake them.
Every car brand is only making electric cars now and guess what, they can make them faster, cheaper and better build quality than Tesla! Plus they are experts at mass production and have multiple factories whereas Tesla has only one factory.
Lesson to learn there – if you’re an innovator you have to move fast these days because everyone catches up and takes over the market advantage!
And this applies to all businesses in the tech industry.
Sad but true
Actually, not sad and not true!
Tesla makes better cars,and does not share production with gas car lines. Tesla has thousands of FREE superchargers. The competition has none.
Using these superchargers you can drive from anywhere in the US to anywhere else in the US (and Mexico too BTW) for FREE. Same for Europe. You can drive from the furthest point west (somewhere in Spain) to Turkey, Moscow, Finland or the furthest point to the north of Norway. China the same….Beijing to Hong Kong.
NO ONE ELSE CAN DO ANY OF THIS!!!
The “competition” keeps showing models but none are selling. Benz showed off a model recently…..production is in 2019 and NO SUPERCHARGING.
Please give us a break with your lies.
WRONG.
I parked next to a brand new model S the other day and I was appalled at the poor build quality. Door panels were out of line, headlights were wonky.
Piss poor production quality for an expensive car.
Tesla is fucked, and with Elon musk taking drugs and spewing all sorts of crap to share holders which destroys the share price he’s finished. He blew the advantage, Jaguar has already announced an electric car that makes the Tesla cars obsolete. Plus jaguar can make and ship 100,000s of cars in a few months.
That’s… not a good analogy.
First, you’re implying that Tesla made the first electric car. -You’re off by more than 100 years.
Second, you said Tesla had a 3 year head start. – No idea where you got this number. Tesla has been around for 15 years and selling vehicles for 10. Disregarding the fact that they never really had a head start, I still am struggling to come up with 3 years between any significant events regarding Tesla / other manufacturers
Third, Tesla may only have one final assembly plant, but I would argue that batteries are the most important item in an electric vehicle, and Tesla has the largest battery manufacturing facility in the world.
Fourth, I’m not clear about other companies making vehicles ‘faster, cheaper, and better quality’. The Nissan Leaf has been in production since 2010 and is certainly cheaper, and has sold more than the Model S, but they are very different vehicles. Of course a vehicle that goes 0-60 in 2.5 seconds costs more than one that takes three times as long to get there.
Finally, Tesla is selling more electric vehicles than any other company right now. Only a handful of other manufacturers are just now coming out with performance models, and none are selling in quantity yet. The economical small electric vehicles continue to sell, but this is not an area that Tesla competes in.
Other car companies are catching up and finally competing, of course, but your comment is just wrong.
Apple, however, has emphasized that it has received a ‘de novo’ classification for the EKG feature,” Chen reports. “That means that… It’s unlike anything else on the market. It is the first direct-to-consumer EKG wearable. (Last year, the FDA approved the AliveCor KardiaBand, a watch accessory that essentially does the same thing, but that wasn’t direct-to-consumer.)”
Well there is still a market left for their devices, beyond their apple watch strap.
Yep 😀
As they say “that’s business!”
The tech industry is cut throat, what they CEO should be doing it trying to get Apple to buy them up!
Why on earth would Apple buy them up?????! They have nothing to give to Apple.
It must suck to watch your company evaporate over the course of a 30 minute presentation by Apple.
That’s the the tech industry for ya!
It’s dog eat dog.
Thats life i you ask me …
Doncha mean dog byte dog?
Sour grapes from a company that Apple has destroyed by announcing the new heart abilities in the new Apple Watch.
Honestly, would you expect a competitor to say anything different????
Didn’t Apple have AliveCor up on stage like 4 yrs ago?
As for the “unlock”, I vaguely recall that was a courtesy free reading. Nobody told me that “unlock”ed it. They usually cost $12 for a board-certified cardiologist to read you trace. If you want a machine to read it, they charge less.
I thought the difference was this was an all-in-one device, while the AliveCor is a separate device that you can stick to the back of your iPhone, if you use the mobile device, or a watch strap, if you use the watch device, but even then, it’s $200, and $100 a year for a subscription.
As for Vic, he did say some nice things about the iPhone not long ago, so he’s not all bad.
Alternative facts. Facts other than the facts that are being considered.
Fact: 2+2 = 4
Alternative Fact: 3+1=4
Alternative Fact: 5-1=4
Alternative Fact: 2+2=4+4-4
Lie: 3+3 = 4
There is nothing wrong with alternative facts. Unless of course you’re a member of the media and “alternative facts” means “facts not approved by the indoctrinated.”
In this case, Apple has not offered an alternative fact. They have propagated an untruth.
Except that those are not “alternative” facts, but the same facts.
Looks you came up with an alternative definition for the word alternative.
DOH. You’re right.
OK. I am finding alternative expressions for the same fact as opposed to alternative facts.
I still submit that an alternative fact is an alternative truth, as opposed to what Apple did, which was just lie.
If someone throws some facts at me and in turn I say, “Here are some alternative facts,” I am saying. “Here are other facts that you might wish to considered.”
If the other person then goes all deranged and ballistic and triggered and stuff screaming about “alternative facts,” it means that person believes themselves to have all the facts and there are no alternative facts or sources. Which would be a symptom of a much bigger mental issue.
That’s just a symptom of the 9-12 factor. Take it in context, America’s never regained the plot since the second 9-11 years ago. I mean come on, alternative facts, nothing burgers, fake news, all symptoms of a country that is totally lost and off chasing a weapons of mass destruction program somewhere.
It would be as funny as Don Quixote chasing windmills except it isn’t, nearly every day for over 15 years Americans have been killing innocent people for no reason at all.
They can’t even face up to their own acts against humanity. Sad, so very very sad. I hope the country recuperates soon.
If seeing a doctor first is required, it’s not over the counter.
Also, if AliveCor falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it really count?
This is strange. There isn’t an article from MDN saying “Apple Store down ahead of preorders” or “we were lucky enough to place our preorders with a delivery date set for the 21st and shall be waiting patiently for our sexy space grey 512gb iPhone XS Max’s”
What’s going on? Am I missing something? Are you guys in North Carolina getting hammered by hurricane Florence?
Just checking out some of the negative reviews on Amazon and IMO the Apple watch is going to win out over AliveCor. The transfer of data to their servers in particular would be a concern to me personally, but not a surprise – shows Vic Gundotra’s roots at Google.
‘Beyond the 30 day free trial there is a monthly fee to keep using it.’ [$10 per month?]
‘it is unable to analyze resting HR under 50 Bpm, which means that older endurance athletes cannot reliably use it for AF detection’
‘ is also unable to analyze readings when exercising, e.g on a controlled treadmill session.’
‘They require that you allow them access to your phone data, user data and allow them to transfer all that data to the US’
‘Device eats battery life due to bluetooth technology’
Vic Gunboatra’s company is about to be blown out of the water.
I must admit I have never even heard about AliveCor or any of its devices. However, most likely millions of people watched the Apple Event and heard about the AppleWatch Series 4 being able to do ECGs. It might not be fair but millions of people will swear AppleWatch did it first. That’s the whole point of marketing events or campaigns. Apple will definitely sell millions of the Series 4 to maybe only thousands of AliveCor devices.
I can understand why CEO Gundotra is butt-hurt. Even if it is true, AliveCor’s protests of being the first to offer consumer ECGs are equal to the sound of one-hand clapping.
LOL … ex-Googler complaining …. “one in the eye” for all the deceit over Android; hopefully Eric Schmidt is heavily invested in AliveCor and loses a ton of money when they get sidelined by the Apple Watch series 4 juggernaut!!