Apple Said To Amass Biosensor Team for Rumored iWatch

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s hiring of biosensor experts has been noted by various sources for quite some time. However, the breadth of that hiring apparently goes beyond what has been reported previously, according to Reuters.

LinkedIn profiles reveal Apple hires

The media outlet states that changes in profiles on LinkedIn show that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has snapped up at least six prominent biomedicine experts over the last year. The company attracted one well-known researcher as recently as a couple of weeks ago, and sources reportedly told Reuters that Apple continues to recruit medical professionals and experts in hardware. However, the number of people hired in these areas is unclear.

Most of those hires are related to sensor technology. Last year Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook said the sensor industry was about “to explode.” Among those poached by Apple are biomedical engineers from O2 MedTech, Sano Intelligence, Masimo Corp and Vital Connect.

Insiders in the industry show that the company’s moves suggest a future in which everything is monitored, from nutrition to blood sugar levels.

Apple must deliver new products

Cook has already promised that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would be entering new product categories this year. It’s been about four years since the technology giant entered a new category, and investors have been concerned about that. Last year Cook expressed a specific interest in wearable devices for the wrist, and Apple has made moves in this direction. The company has trademarked the term iWatch in multiple countries. In addition, a number of patent filings have pointed to a device to be worn on the wrist.

Reuters reports that one executive in the mobile health industry said he spoke with an executive of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iWatch team recently. He said the company is looking beyond wearable devices and may build a full platform for health and fitness services. He said the platform would be similar to Apple’s App Store.

The medical technology community is also expecting this sort of platform from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). It would enable startup companies to develop apps for mobile medical uses.

 

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