Apple planning new medical health tracker, hints CEO Tim Cook

Apple places emphasis on the Apple Watch's health tracking abilities in its adverts

APPLE could be developing a standalone health-tracking gadget – separate from its Apple Watch range.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted the US technology company could be building a new health-focused wearable device or app.

Mr Cook dropped the hint during a recent interview in which he addressed the launch of the firm's new larger-screen iPad Pro and new UK snooping laws which could legislate a backdoor into encrypted services, like iMessage.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Cook talked about the company's future plans in the health sphere.

Although the Apple Watch has a heart-rate sensor and fitness tracking apps, it was not put through an approval process with US body, the Food and Drug Administration.



Without FDA approval, the health tracking sensors in the Apple Watch will remain limited



Without approval from the FDA, the Apple Watch can only sport a limited number of health features. And that isn't likely to change anytime soon. 

"We don't want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process," Mr Cook confirmed.

"I wouldn’t mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long. 

"But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it – maybe an app, maybe something else."

Could Apple be planning a dedicated Fitbit-style health tracking band? Possibly.

  

Rival Fitbit make a number of lightweight, health-focused wearables

The firm introduced a comprehensive Health data app alongside iOS 8, which includes the ability to track heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, calories burned, cholesterol, UV exposure and reproductive health.

A number of hugely popular third-party apps have built in the ability to feed data into the Health app, including Jawbone UP, Garmin VivoSmart, Withings Scale and RunKeeper.

Apple has yet to reveal sales figures for its first wearable, the Apple Watch.

“I think we will set a new [sales] record this quarter," Mr Cook has previously teased "Things are going well."