fitness-training - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-28T20:43:43Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/fitness-trainingApple Is Suddenly Interested In Health Technologyhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/apple-is-suddenly-interested-in-health-technology2013-07-20T14:45:26.000Z2013-07-20T14:45:26.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>As first reported by <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/07/18/apple-stacks-iwatch-team-with-sensor-fitness-experts/">9to5Mac</a>, Apple has been bringing on board experts in sensors that monitor the human body. They’re from companies like AccuVein, C8 MediSensors and Senseonics.</p>
<p>The wearable technology market is expected to grow immensely in popularity in the next few years: one firm estimates the 500,000 smartwatches that have shipped so far this year will <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/07/17/warm-up-your-wrist-5m-smartwatch-shipments-expected-in-2014/">explode to 5 million units by the end of 2014</a>. The optimism built into the numbers comes from the long-held assumption that Apple will do its own smartwatch. But lots of big consumer electronics companies will help bring the devices into the main<a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1290126?profile=original"><img class="align-right" style="padding: 5px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1290126?profile=RESIZE_480x480" height="195" width="375"></a>stream: that may include Microsoft, Motorola and Samsung, in addition to entries from smaller, niche companies like Pebble.</p>
<p>But wearable computing includes far more than watches. There’s Google Glass, of course, and simple fitness-tracking, wrist-worn devices like Nike’s, and products from Jawbone, Fitbit and others. Clothing with sensors in them will be part of the mix too, like <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/05/16/you-call-google-glass-wearable-tech-heapsylon-makes-sensor-rich-fabric/">Heapsylon’s smart socks</a> that infuse material with sensors that track body processes and movements.</p>
<p>The frequency of reports about the progress of <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/07/05/why-apple-needs-a-wearable-computer-as-much-as-wearables-need-apples-touch/">Apple’s wearable device project</a> have picked up in recent months. The company has <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/07/02/apples-quest-for-the-iwatch-trademark-expands/">registered the “iWatch” trademark</a> in several countries, and is said to <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/07/15/apple-still-hiring-for-iwatch-project-2014-launch-looking-more-likely/">still be hiring hardware engineers</a> to work on it.</p>
<p>But will it be an actual watch? Based on the kinds of people Apple is hiring, the device may have a health or fitness component to it that will take advantage of the company’s vast third-party app platform and its expertise in mobile hardware. It will probably tell time, and it may be worn on the wrist — Cook has said he finds that area “interesting.” Still, “watch” is a little too simplistic considering the kind of sensors it’ll likely have inside it.</p>
<p>Read more @ <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/07/18/apple-is-suddenly-really-interested-in-health-tech/" target="_blank">Gigaom</a></p></div>