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Apple reveals health-focused push with Health app and Mayo Clinic partnership

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This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple’s foray into health has been rumored for a number of months, but the company made it official during WWDC. Morphed into HealthKit and Health, they talk to other applications and uniformly present fitness information.

Health is the app itself, whereas HealthKit is the back-end. HealthKit gathers data from third-party apps, such as Nike’s FuelBand, and have that data presented under one roof. Health shows you all the activity metrics and compiles a composite profile based on the information it gathers, which includes weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and more.

To help power HealthKit, Apple announced a partnership with Mayo Clinic, with other major hospitals and institutions set to support HealthKit. With the support, HealthKit can notify your doctor when, for example, it notices your blood pressure is not at normal levels or when vitals aren’t right.

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HealthKit and Health will be part of iOS 8, which Apple announced will be available sometime this fall.

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