For anyone who's been eagerly waiting for Apple's new products and iOS update may definitely notice one that's significantly missing: health apps. Apple discovered a bug that would eventually push the official release of these apps running on HealthKit to a much later date.
In a brief statement, an Apple representative pointed out that their team discovered a bug that affected the HealthKit, a new feature and platform that, the company believes, is going to revolutionize the way health care data will be stored and shared.
The HealthKit, which will run on the latest iOS 8, will allow health apps to communicate with one another in order to generate a more accurate, real-time, and prompt information on the user's health and well-being such as blood pressure and glucose level. These data, furthermore, will be stored in a central location that cannot be accessed without permission from the user, thereby guaranteeing privacy and security. User permission will also be needed before app data will be shared to others.
Apple didn't mention the nature of the bug or the exact date when the HealthKit will be released. It simply states they will be working on it within the next few weeks to make the platform available before September ends. In the meantime, the company has pulled out the health apps on HealthKit from their iTunes Store including Carrot Fit, WebMD, and Lark.
HealthKit has received the serious attention from the health care industry especially among doctors. When implemented correctly, doctors can already receive vital health data more easily and more quickly. Apple is also said to be working closely with top hospitals for medical trials. Two of these hospitals are Stanford and Duke. Stanford is using the platform to track blood sugar of diabetic children while Duke is testing the HealthKit in its effectiveness to monitor blood pressure of patients with cardiovascular disorders and cancer.