Apple Inc. is reportedly looking into making a health and fitness services platform to be modeled on its iOS App Store.
The platform could allow companies to create their own mobile medical applications to be included in Apple's wearable device iWatch, according to Mac Rumors.
A mobile health executive who asked to remain anonymous said he recently talked with an Apple executive from the iWatch team. He said the company is not only looking into wearable devices, but is also considering a platform focusing on health and fitness.
The company has also been said to be hiring more experts in health technology and hardware, TechCrunch reported.
Apple most recently hired founder of startup StartX Med Divya Nag. Nag created the seed accelerator to help the growth of companies looking to build technology related to medicine and health. Apple also brought Vital Connect VP of biosensor technology Ravi Narasimhan, Masimo Corp. chief medical officer Michael O'Reilly and embedded sensors expert Nima Ferdosi to the company.
Apple's hires involving health and sensor technology have been focused on finding non-invasive ways to keep track of significant health factors, such as oxygen saturation, sleep and blood glucose levels, Mac Rumors reported.
The company also recently hired Eric Winokur, a researcher from MIT who worked on ear-worn devices that monitor heart rate and blood pressure. Workers from Philips Sleep Research are also included in Apple's hiring spree.
Nike has been rumored to be forming a partnership with Apple to combine more of their software with Apple's services, TechCrunch reported.
Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, did not directly comment on plans with Apple, Mac Rumors reported. However, Parker did say that the company is a longtime partner of Nike and that he is "excited about where that relationship will go forward."
Some have whispered that Apple's iWatch, which has been rumored to drop for several years, could be released later this year. The company is not expected to introduce the device at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled for early June.
