Inside Apple and IBM's Plan to Serve the World's Aging Population
Apple, IBM team up to find a way to help the elderly live independently.
— -- The iPad's latest role: Caregiver for the elderly.
Apple, IBM and Japan Post are teaming up to put iPads into the hands of seniors in Japan. The tablets will be equipped with a customized suite of applications aimed at helping the country's aging population live independently.
"What this is about is improving the quality of life, and there's arguably nothing more important than that," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at a press event today in New York. "We will dramatically improve the lives of millions of people, and that, at the end of the day, is what this is about."
About one quarter of Japan's population is 65 or older -- with as much as 40 percent of the population reaching that peak in the next 40 years.
With 22 apps already developed by IBM in the pipeline and dozens more to come this year, Cook said the program has the potential to leave a positive "ding in the universe" by the way it can help people live better lives.
The suite of apps will integrate into Japan Post's current system where post office workers check on elderly customers for a small fee and then report back to their families.
Some of the features outlined in the service are medication reminders, easy accessibility to FaceTime with family members and a directory of service providers that are vetted by Japan Post.
The team hopes the iPad service will reach as many as 5 million Japanese seniors by 2020. There are also plans to tailor it to different markets around the world.
"Where Japan is maybe first, many others will follow," Cook said.