Apple may focus on health with iOS 8 - Times of India

NEW DELHI: iOS 7 ushered in a major revamp of Apple's mobile operating system last year, introducing some features that its rival Android already had. And it seems that Apple may up the ante with iOS 8 this year.

According to reports, the company is going to focus on health and fitness with the next iteration of iOS. Technology website 9To5Mac has reported that Apple is currently readying a new app called Healthbook, which will be the key feature of the upcoming operating system.

This app "will be capable of monitoring and storing fitness statistics such as steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked. Furthermore, the app will have the ability to manage and track weight loss." Other features likely to be included are ability to track blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate etc.

If users provide information about the medication prescribed to them, the Healthbook app will remind them of taking the same at the scheduled time.

This report is backed by a New York Times story on Apple's top brass meeting the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government body responsible for public health. Though the details of the meeting are not yet known, the report said that Apple is either trying to expedite a pending approval, or the two parties are working on a new generation of medical devices.

Michael O'Reilly - the former chief medical officer of patient monitoring device maker Masimo Corp - joined Apple's ranks recently. He is also said to be among the Apple employees who met the FDA executives.

It actually comes as no surprise that Apple's next generation operating system would focus heavily on health. The company last year launched iPhone 5S with a special M7 core that only tracks the health and fitness of the user. While introducing this core in its A7 chipset, the iPhone maker had said it will create the path for the next generation of health and fitness apps.

These reports of a health-optimized operating system also give credence to the rumours of an Apple smartwatch that is focussed on health and fitness. The rumoured iWatch will be the company's first wearable device and would be crucial for a firm whose fans and investors are clamouring for a new generation of gadgets.

According to a Bloomberg report, Google is also in talks with FDA over some medical devices.

via apple - Google News http://ift.tt/1fIGqP7