Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
The competition for wearables dominance has shifted from consumer metrics (steps, heart rate) to clinical integration—getting data from smartwatches and rings directly into electronic health records where doctors can act on it. Apple, Google, and Samsung are each pushing different ecosystems (Apple Health, Google Fit, Samsung Health) toward healthcare provider adoption, which means the winner controls not just what consumers wear but what information flows into medical decision-making. Whoever owns the patient data pipeline between wearable and clinic gains leverage over healthcare providers, insurers, and future health services—far more valuable than selling another fitness tracker.