Apple, extending its partnership with IBM, will also collaborate on apps to improve the wellness and connectivity of elderly people, starting in Japan.
NEW YORK -- Apple and IBM are getting into the senior care business.
The two companies said Thursday that they plan to give 5 million iPads to seniors in Japan over the next five years. The iPads will come with special software designed to help the elderly manage health care and other needs.
"We will dramatically improve the lives of millions of people," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said an event here. "Sooner or later almost every country on the face on the earth will encounter this same issue."
Cook spoke alongside IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Taizo Nishimuro, CEO of Japan Post, his partners in the initiative.
The move expands IBM and Apple's joint push to get more iPads into different areas, including business and health care. Though Apple's iPhone and Mac sales are strong, iPad shipments have slumped. The company earlier this week reported iPad sales of 12.6 million units, coming in below Wall Street's expectations and marking a fifth consecutive quarterly decline .
Apple reached a deal with IBM in July to help push Apple devices and iOS apps to businesses. IBM will optimize its cloud-computing services -- such as device management, security and analytics -- for iOS. The companies have already introduced the first bunches of apps for industries such as airlines, telecommunications, insurance, banking and government.
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