“Sitting Down is the New Cancer,” Says Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference last week, discussing the company’s upcoming wearable the Apple Watch and going into greater detail in regards to how the smartwatch will impact upon its users’ lifestyles.

During the conference, Cook told the audience that the Apple Watch would “remind” its wearer if they had sat down for too long,. He said: “If I sit for too long, it will actually tap me on the wrist to remind me to get up and move, because a lot of doctors think sitting is the new cancer.”

The CEO continued: “Ten minutes before the hour, it will remind you to move. We have a lot of people using the Apple Watch at Apple, and ten minutes before the hour, suddenly they all get up and move. It took a little to get used to, but it’s great.”

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Apple has placed a great deal of faith in the Apple Watch’s fitness-focused apps being enough to catapult it into the mainstream, despite smartwatches in general having yet to really grab the attention of the average consumer. Apple has proven time and time again that it excels in delivering tech to consumers that they didn’t even realize that they wanted, and though many are debating whether or not the Apple Watch will catch on, if anyone can force it in your hands, it’s Apple.

The Apple Watch’s activity notifications will inform you when you’ve been sitting down for too long.

With that being said, I’m not entirely convinced that a wearable that guilt trips you for sitting down is something I’d personally want attached to my wrist, though I’m sure Apple knows what it’s doing when it comes to predicting the wants of the average tech enthusiast.

Cook also used his time at the conference to discuss Apple’s policies when it comes to their users’ privacy, saying: “We believe customers have a right to privacy, and the vast majority of customers don’t want people knowing everything about them.

“When you make a purchase, we make a little bit of money. It’s very simple, very straightforward. You are not our product, that’s our product. There’s no need for us to know what you’re buying, where you’re buying, I don’t want to know any of that.”

Photo: Getty Images

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