Testing Apple's Drug Interaction Checker - How Accurate is it?

Note: These features were tried on iOS 16.5, and on iOS 17 Developer Beta 1. 

I tried to put Apple’s drug interaction checker to the test, and let me start off by saying that overall it does a good job of catching interactions. It’s not perfect though, and can even be dangerous. That is why you should always consult your care team to determine if any medications need to be stopped or changed based on your health situation.

With that being said, let me set the scenario here.

I used a bunch of drugs to test out Apple’s system, and to see how well it can track drug interactions and interaction factors. First, let’s check out the list of drugs:

1. Crestor (generic name is rosuvastatin) - cholesterol medicine.

2. Zocor (generic name is simvastatin) - this is the same drug category as above, used for cholesterol medicine.

3. Simvastatin - literally the same drug as Zocor.

4. Rifampin - used for treating tuberculosis.

5. Lisinopril - blood pressure medication. 

6. Accutane - for severe acne.

7. Chantix - for smoking cessation.

8. Promethazine VC with Codeine - used to treat cold, stuffiness, and allergy symptoms.

After putting in your medications, you get a list of drug interactions that pop up. When you enter the interactions page, you will see “Current Factors” at the top. These life factors can look for interactions between your medications and said life factors. Apple currently provides three life factors:

1. Alcohol consumption

2. Marijuana

3. Tobacco

With all life factors turned OFF, there was 1 Serious and 4 Moderate interactions.

After turning ON all 3 Interaction Factors, the number of interactions increased to 8 Serious and 4 Moderate, which is no surprise.

Although technically all of the drug interactions are present, there are fine details that many people might not be aware of. A thorough pharmacy based system would find a few more discrepancies. 

Let’s look at my list of drugs from above once again:

1. Crestor (generic name is rosuvastatin) - cholesterol medicine.

2. Zocor (generic name is simvastatin) - this is the same drug category as above, used for cholesterol medicine.

3. Simvastatin - literally the same drug as Zocor.

4. Rifampin - used for treating tuberculosis.

5. Lisinopril - blood pressure medication. 

6. Accutane - for severe acne.

7. Chantix - for smoking cessation.

8. Promethazine VC with Codeine - used to treat cold, stuffiness, and allergy symptoms.

Drugs 2 and 3 are duplicates, and drug 1 is in the same category as 2 and 3. In a pharmacy drug utilization review system, these 3 drugs would pop-up as 2 or even 3 separate drug interactions, and would require consultation with the patient. Odds are the patient is stopping one medication and starting another, or they have switched from a brand name to a generic. Apple’s interaction checker however doesn’t give you these warnings. 

Does Apple’s drug interaction checker screen for pregnant patients?

In its current version of iOS 17 Developer Beta 1, Apple’s drug interaction checker is not designed to screen for pregnant patients. Here’s the process that I used to find out.

I changed my gender in the Health app to female and added an active pregnancy that is currently nearing 3 months. I wanted to trigger more life factor interactions, since some of these drugs on my list are a big no no during pregnancy. 

After adding my pregnancy status, I still had the same 8 severe and 4 moderate interactions. I even gave the phone a few days to perhaps “sync” the pregnancy information and maybe it would trigger some sort of alert. After a few days, I checked the drug interaction checker again and it still had the same 8 severe and 4 moderate interactions. There was nothing in the medications section indicating that Apple was aware that I was pregnant, and there was nothing in the pregnancy section that triggered any alerts based on my drug profile and substance use. There was no warning to stop drinking alcohol, or to stop using tobacco or cannabis due to direct fetal harm, even though I was “using” all those substances.

Now let’s disregard the life factors and just think about the medications and the active pregnancy. If these drugs were in a patient’s profile at a pharmacy and the patient had a pregnancy status of positive, the computers would sound red alarms: 

Let’s look at the list of drugs again (for the 3rd time now!):

1. Crestor (generic name is rosuvastatin) - cholesterol medicine.

2. Zocor (generic name is simvastatin) - this is the same drug category as above, used for cholesterol medicine.

3. Simvastatin - literally the same drug as Zocor.

4. Rifampin - used for treating tuberculosis.

5. Lisinopril - blood pressure medication. 

6. Accutane - for severe acne.

7. Chantix - for smoking cessation.

8. Promethazine VC with Codeine - used to treat cold, stuffiness, and allergy symptoms.

Drugs 1, 2, and 3 would be considered very high risk to the fetus.

Drug 5 is considered Pregnancy Category D, which means positive evidence of human fetal risk.

Drug 6 is considered Pregnancy Category X (not allowed at all during pregnancy), and with this drug in particular there is up to a 35% chance of severe birth defects. 

As you can see from such a patient drug profile, a successful pregnancy would most likely not happen. 

Now in fairness to Apple, they do state the following to let people know that not all interactions might be caught by the Health app:

“Health is not able to check for all potential interactions. More information is available on the labels of your medications. Discuss any questions about your medications with your care team.”

Is Apple’s drug interaction checker flawed?

Right now, Apple’s drug interaction checker works in a bubble. It can take hundreds of drugs, along with the life factors of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, and spit out every interaction between these factors. 

While I believe that Apple has made great progress by adding a medication log and even providing drug interactions, it still requires more work. The pregnancy section of the Health app needs to talk to the medications section in order to make it a more robust and reliable system that holistically looks at the person’s health. I believe this is a work in progress for Apple, and in due time they will get there since they have a strong focus on health and fitness.

Even when Apple does get there, remember to always seek professional advice from your healthcare team in regards to your medications and health concerns.

Apple’s “One More Thing” is just not the same anymore…

When Apple revealed its Vision Pro spatial computing device, the initial sequence of events at the Keynote just weren’t as exciting as in the past. When Tim Cook mentioned that we have, 'One More Thing,' there was no usual fanfare, there was no cheering, and there was no anticipation that happens with a live event. In the live events before COVID, the camera angles change, people are shown smiling, sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the unveiling of the next big thing. You also got to see all those tech journalists frantically typing away which gave you another reality perspective!

I know I know, Apple technically does have live events at Apple Park, but they are still just watching a screen and the reactions are not part of the keynote for everyone to enjoy.

Apple always does a great job revealing their products and the main intro video revealing the Vision Pro was no exception. The next scene right after that though, it’s just Tim Cook in an empty theater. There is no audience that is standing and cheering, no fist pumps, no high fives, it’s all gone. Instead they cut right into the pre-recorded videos talking about the product. Imagine how insane it would have been if the event were live, and Tim Cook came out wearing the Vision Pro, with his 'real' digital eyes looking at everyone!

This wasn’t just another Apple Event. This was a 'One More Thing’ moment, and the last one was 6 years ago in 2017 when the iPhone X was revealed. The last ‘One More Thing’ event that was a new product category was in 2014 with the Apple Watch. As you can see, these moments just don’t happen that often.

It is definitely more efficient to have the pre-recorded stream, but sometimes efficiency gets in the way of the true to life character of the speaker. It’s like when I talk to my kids and I get to see their reactions to my dad jokes, the expression on their faces is priceless to me. If I were to script that same event and tell them to react the same way, it just wouldn’t be the same. It’s not a reaction anymore, but just a prompt.

If Apple plays it's cards like they did with the Apple Watch reveal, they will have another event sometime early next year to give more details about the Vision Pro. With all due respect to those who make these amazing pre-recorded streams, I still really hope that event is an actual live in-person event so we can get some of that impromptu spark and humor back. I mean just look at this clip of Joz during the iPhone SE reveal, where he talks about the iPhone SE’s camera and describes the guy on the skateboard as Phil Schiller’s doppelganger. I thought that was hilarious.

Apple Vision Pro - What is the True Cost?

Apple revealed their Vision Pro headset on Monday, and one of the biggest concerns people have about it is the $3,499 price tag. Everyone keeps saying that it is way too expensive, but no one has really mentioned the fact that Apple stated:

“Apple Vision Pro, starts at $3,499.”

Did you catch that? That’s right, it STARTS at $3,499.

So what will be the true “out the door” price? We can only speculate, but let’s gather some numbers.

I’m going to say that AppleCare+ for the Apple Vision Pro will be around $500. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out. If the $5,000 ProDisplay XDR which is a stationary product, costs $500 for AppleCare+, it really isn’t a far fetch to assume that the Apple Vision Pro will have a similar price. The Apple Vision Pro is more prone to bumps, drops, and is probably more delicate with all its sensors and cameras. I don’t normally tell people to buy AppleCare+ (even though I do buy it myself), but I would strongly recommend everyone to get AppleCare+ this time around because the Vision Pro is an amazing piece of technology that will cost you big time if you break it. I would say that out of warranty coverage would be $999, since it sounds psychologically better than $1,000. This is being reasonable when you consider that an iPhone 14 Pro Max screen replacement out of warranty is $379. That is 34% of the cost of the base model iPhone Pro Max. With that extrapolation, the Vision Pro out of warranty repair would be $1,200, but I’m “optimistic” at $999.

Let’s talk about that charging brick with magnetic cable. You get one with the headset, and you will want to buy another one because it is another proprietary magnetic charging system. You don’t have any spares lying around, and most of your friends won’t either. God forbid you lose it or damage it and then have to wait forever to get another one if they’re on backorder. Considering Apple charges $100 for the MagSafe battery pack, this is much more significant and sophisticated with a higher capacity battery, so let’s be generous and call it $200 for the brick. The cable seems to be detachable from the brick, so let’s add another $50 for the cable. On the plus side, the charging brick does look elegant, and even looks like the original iPhone. 

What about memory upgrades? Let’s hope that the Vision Pro starts at at least 256GB. Add $200 for 512GB and another $200 for 1TB. I’m basing this from iPhone pricing. I would probably keep the base storage option for myself.

How about a nice stand to keep your Apple Vision Pro looking smug and fresh, and to prevent it from sliding around on your desk. Let’s price that at $100. How about a carrying case for when you’re on the go, just like the lady in the hotel room in Apple’s keynote? I mean after all, not that many people will have this device, so you can show it to your family and friends, but you don’t want to wear it across town. Another $100. 

Do you wear glasses? Well, you have to purchase special lens inserts that attach magnetically to the Vision Pro. Those are rumored to be around $300-600 per Mark Gurman.

So far, our total is $4,450 without lens inserts, and $4,750 with lens inserts (assuming $300):

1. Apple Vision Pro - $3,500

2. AppleCare+ - $500

3. Extra charging brick - $200

4. Extra charging cable - $50

5. Apple Vision Pro Stand - $100

6. Carrying case - $100

7. Custom prescription lens inserts - $300-$600

Let’s stop there. Now let’s add sales tax which averages to 5%. Our grand final total is a whopping $4,673 without lens inserts, and $4,987 with lens inserts.

I haven’t even gotten into the different head band options that will probably be available, but you can easily expect each band to cost around $100. Once again, I think I’m being generous with this price because those much tinier Apple Watch Ultra bands also start at $99.

You can see how this $3,500 device can easily creep into the $5,000 mark. Even the people who were able to stomach the $3,500 price tag might think twice when the costs get that high.

I primarily wear glasses, but I do wear contacts when I play sports. Let’s see what the cost of those Zeiss lenses are before I go full throttle on contact lenses.

Is a ten year old MacBook still a good option in 2023?

Is a ten year old MacBook really still a good option in 2023?

Yes, a 2013 MacBook Pro is still a good option for day to day tasks at a much cheaper price, but you have to get the right one. 

I initially had a 2013 13-inch Retina with integrated graphics, and it was sluggish when I went into the photos app. The main problem was video, and any 4K video playback was out of the question. For other basic tasks, it was just fine. For this reason alone I would avoid getting the 13-inch laptops, especially if you want to do any type of basic video editing.

If you want to experience top of the line 2013 specs, you want to get the 15-inch laptops with the built-in GPU. I decided to go all out and get a maxed out 15-inch model with the NVIDIA GT 750M and with a 1TB SSD, thanks to sound advice from Louis Rossman . The good thing with these laptops is that you can swap out the hard drives, so you can go as cheap or expensive with the storage if you need to. 

You won’t get the amazing battery life of Apple silicon Macs, but it is still good enough to last at least 3-4 hours. I tend to use mine at around 75% brightness, but if you lower your requirements, it can probably last longer. 

Now what do I use it for? Basic web browsing in both Chrome and Safari (because we still live in a world where not everything works on Safari). My work based stuff works better on Chrome, so I get to enjoy the battery drain that Chrome does on intel based Macs. I also use the stock Apple suite of apps, mainly Calendar, Notes, and iMessage. In 2022 I even used it for editing videos with DaVinci Resolve, and it was able to handle it pretty well.

I really love the keyboard of this generation. 2015 was the last year of the classic keyboard before Apple went with their infamous butterfly keyboards, and the 2013 is the same body style and experience as the 2015 models. The one thing I like about these older keyboards is they have a more satisfying clicky sound and feel that just isn’t there with the M1 Pro my wife has (which used to be mine, but that’s a story for another day). I also love the keyboard brightness keys. I honestly prefer these much more than the new dictation and focus mode keys. 

You obviously don’t get any biometrics, but you can use your Apple Watch to unlock this laptop. It keeps the unlock experience more modern and you don’t have to worry about typing your (hopefully strong) passcode. My only gripe is that sometimes the Apple Watch to unlock is too good of a feature, and my kids can easily open the laptop and get access to it.

These laptops did have a serious cosmetic flaw with screen delamination, but if you’re buying an old used laptop, you don’t really care about it being in pristine condition. Honestly, after using this laptop for more than 4 years, I don’t even notice the delamination, especially when the screen is on. You do have to look at it in certain lighting to notice the delamination on the bezels, but it’s not something that will really bother you. 

You can’t notice it when actually using it day to day. I had to get in direct sunlight for this picture.

I use this laptop as my go to “beater laptop.” If I am going somewhere public where I might have to leave my laptop unattended for a few minutes here and there, or if I will only use it for maybe a couple of hours, this will do the job just fine. I also will have more peace of mind not having to leave a multi-thousand dollar laptop unattended. 

When budgeting for this laptop, remember that it uses MagSafe 2 for charging and you will probably have to spend an additional $80 to get the official Apple charger. If you have the original MagSafe cable, you can purchase an adapter directly from Apple for $10 instead. 

Now why would you need to buy an additional charger if you're getting one on eBay?

When I bought this used on eBay back in 2018, it came with a charger, but I found out soon enough that it was a fake charger. Check out this link for why you would not want to take a chance with a fake charger. From my own experience, I saw sparks coming out of the pins when connecting it to the MacBook. Per Ken’s article, those sparks signify a full power delivery that is not regulated by a microcontroller like the genuine MagSafe charger:

Only when a microcontroller inside the charger detects that the charger is connected to a laptop does the charger switch to the full output power. (Details are in my Magsafe connector teardown article.) This is a safety feature of the real charger that reduces the risk from a short circuit across the pins. The counterfeit charger, on the other hand, omits the microcontroller circuit and simply outputs the full voltage at all times. This raises the risk of burning out your laptop if you plug the connector in crooked or metallic debris sticks to the magnet.

Needless to say, you shouldn’t be getting any sparks when connecting your MacBook to a MagSafe charger. It’s not worth risking your laptop catching on fire. After all, these batteries are not going to be brand new. 

The one I got looked real and didn’t have any suspicious gaps. I really had no way of telling it was fake until I tore it down myself. It matched up real well with the fake ones in Ken’s posting. I was able to get a partial refund for the fake charger from the eBay seller since I had to fork out $80 for a real one. I could have gotten a full refund, but I would have to return the whole laptop, which I fell in love with and didn’t want to return. 

The 2013 models unfortunately stop at macOS Big Sur, so you don’t get a lot of the fancy options such as Universal Control and Continuity Camera. I can live with those compromises, and will gladly trade the savings for a retina 15.4 inch display.

When you include the cost of the MagSafe 2 charger, I paid almost $900 back in 2018 to get this laptop (which was a bit overpriced at the time). Now you can get these on eBay for around $400. That is one of the greatest MacBook values you can get right now.

I would highly recommend the 15-inch with dual graphics since it provides a good value for those looking for the most bang for the buck with decent battery life, a great visual experience, and solid reliability.

P.S. The multi-touch trackpad on this 10 year old laptop is still better than most laptops today!