Apple might enter into the fitness tracker market in 2017, according to new rumor from Economic Daily News, who suggest the company has been working on a health device for two years.
The wearable is aimed at people that want more fitness and health data from their device. It includes heart-rate and blood sugar level monitoring, alongside other health data, according to the report.
See Also: Apple self-driving effort shifts from hardware to software
Jay Blahnik, the fitness expert Apple picked up in 2013, has apparently been working on the device for two years. Blahnik has been working on ‘special projects’ for Cupertino since joining the company.
3D touch might be a major feature on the fitness tracker, possibly due to the screen limitations. Macotakara, a Japanese blog, said Apple has found an innovative method to charge the device.
Foxconn, TSMC, and a few other suppliers have supposedly been in discussions about the fitness tracker.
Apple rolling out more health functionality?
Original rumors about the Watch suggested that it would have next generation health functionality, but that didn’t arrive in the final version. Some said the FDA had forced Apple to remove some of the health features, though that has not been confirmed by either party.
We might see the revival of these features with the fitness tracker, but the company would need to show proof that its analytics and sensors work if it plans to add medical level functionality.
Pricing should be competitive with Fitbit, we would assume, though it may price higher as is typically the case. We have no date for when it will launch in 2017, we might see it at the start of the year at the March event or alongside the iPhone 7S in September.
