There may be some more concrete proof as to an iWatch this October.
Per Nikkei Asian Review, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, announced the company’s entry into health-monitoring services at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Thursday.
Over at its Worldwide Developers Conference event, Apple said that this autumn bring to market an upgraded mobile operating system for smartphones and tablet devices. The new watch-like wearable gear will run on this OS, which will be equipped with a centralized function to manage users’ biometric information via smartphones. It is expected to hit the market in October.
Albeit specific details have yet to be announced, industry sources have indicated that Apple’s device will likely use se a curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen and collect health-related data, such as calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood glucose and blood oxygen levels. It will also allow users to read messages sent by smartphones.
According to a parts manufacturer, it plans monthly commercial output of about 3-5 million units, which exceeds the total global sales of watch-like devices last year. This confidence is backed by its partnerships with high-profile hospitals — Apple has teamed up with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, U.S. health institutes based in Minnesota and Ohio, respectively, to develop specific ways of analyzing the collected data and applying it to actual health management.
Apple is also in an ongoing partnership with Nike. According to sources familiar with the matter, the two companies have likely agreed to integrate their services in the future. The sports equipment maker is expected to eventually pull out of the device business to concentrate on services.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.