Apple
Apple is continuing its healthcare push.
The latest: Adding to an expanding list, the tech giant’s smartwatch is expected to gain new wellness-tracking sensors next year.
- Blood pressure. Without providing exact measurements, the device will alert users of elevated blood pressure and add a journal for tracking potential triggers.
- Sleep apnea. Monitoring breathing, the watch will predict risk of sleep apnea and suggest following up with a doctor.
Of note, neither sensor is designed to diagnose or treat disease but rather encourage preventative action.
Still to come… Apple’s roadmap is also rumored to include AirPods that double as hearing aids, an AI health coach, and a noninvasive glucose monitoring system that could predict prediabetes.
Building on the clinical success of its API for managing Parkinson’s, the company is also exploring FDA approval for use cases related to its blood oxygen tracker — which, until it receives clearance, is barred from translating data into health insights. And, it hopes to add fever detection to its thermometer, which is currently used for fertility tracking.
Looking ahead: The Vision Pro headset could be the company’s next health device. Working on AR/VR mindfulness, meditation, fitness content, it’s aiming to outshine Meta.
Punchline: Despite its blood pressure feature arriving late, Apple’s one step closer to its idealized healthcare future, where prescription wearables reign.
