Apple reportedly making push in mobile health
The company is said to be developing an app called Healthbook for iOS 8, and some of Apple's top execs met with the FDA last month.
All signs point to Apple aiming to make a splash in mobile medical health.
The tech giant's so-called iWatch is said to be deep in development, with a heavy focus on mobile health and fitness tracking. And it's also been said that the long-rumored product could be announced by the end of this year.
Adding to the rumor mill's churn: Prominent Apple executives, including Senior Vice President of Operations Jeff Williams and Vice President of Software Technology Budd Tribble, met with the Food and Drug Administration last month, according to the association's public calendar. The news was first reported Friday by The New York Times. The subject of the meeting, per the calendar, was "mobile medical applications."
The Times also said, citing unnamed sources, that Kevin Lynch, the company's vice president of technology, is involved in creating software for the watch, and that SVP of Technology Bob Mansfield has also been looking at health-related tech to connect to the iPhone.
Separately, 9to5Mac says iOS 8 will have a strong health component, including an app code-named "Healthbook." The app will have the ability to track things like the number of steps taken by a user, calories burned, and weight gained or lost, and record record blood pressure, hydration, and glucose levels, according to the report. The new features notably step on the offerings of Nike and Fitbit, already popular on the platform.
Also tellingly, the company has reportedly made some key hires in the space. MacRumors said Apple hired away Michael O'Reilly from his post as chief medical officer at Masimo Corporation, an Irvine, Calif.-based medical technology company.
Apple hasn't yet responded to a request for comment, but we'll update this post if we hear back.