Tim Cook said that 'sitting is the new cancer' in a talk he made at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference.
The Apple CEO was speaking about the important role that smart watches -- in particular the Apple Watch -- will play in keeping us active.
Apple's first smart watch will come with a whole suite of dedicated apps and features that have been tailored towards making us more active.
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“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,” said Cook.
“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.”
While it's almost Orwellian to imagine the entire population of Apple's offices standing up and going for a walk at 10 minutes to 10, the fact remains that as weird as it'll look, it's potentially keeping us all alive.
A number of health studies have shown that even if you do exercise, sitting for long periods of time can still lead to health problems later on in life.
By forcing you to stay even mildly active, the Apple Watch would be doing its bit.