Time to take away Apple's credit cards, because the iPhone maker is on a buying spree. Since the beginning of 2016, the company is known to have bought nine companies.
Well, make that 10, since earlier this week it was subtly announced that Apple had acquired another business. So what does this new company do, and how will its acquisition benefit Apple?
In IT Blogwatch, we take a nap.
So what is going on? Roland Hutchinson has the background:
Apple has made another acquisition, this time...a company called Beddit who makes a sleep monitoring system...The Beddit...system is placed under the sheet on your bed on top of the mattress, it then monitors your sleeping pattern and saves the data in an iPhone app.
And did Apple or Beddit announce the acquisition? How did all this come to light? Christina Farr has those details:
Beddit...updated the privacy policy on its website to state that it has been acquired, although the terms of the deal are not...clear. The previous page that linked to Beddit's Apple Watch applications appears to have been taken down.
But what does Beddit do, exactly? Steven Musil is in the know:
The Beddit Sleep Tracker uses a sensor about the same size and thickness as...duct tape to measure total sleep time, resting heart rate, respiration rate, how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you got up, and the amount of deep sleep achieved. The companion Android and iOS app...offers detailed postsleep analysis and feedback...to help improve sleep.
And how does Beddit collect all this information? Juli Clover fills us in:
According to...Beddit...the device uses ballistocardiography (BCG) to measure the mechanical activity of the heart, lungs, and other body functions. When the heart beats, for example, the Beddit sensor can measure the mechanical impulse generated by the acceleration of the blood through the circulatory system.
Anything else we need to know about Beddit? Brittany A. Roston has some more info:
The device is not noticeable to the person sleeping...it measures a mere 1.5mm thick...[or] about 0.06-inches. Beddit...can keep tabs on up to two people.
...
The Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor is being sold directly through Apple.com for $149.95 USD. As the...Beddit privacy page states, health information collected by...Beddit...can be shared with Apple’s Health app.
What could be Apple's end goal here, though? Oscar Raymundo has some insight into that:
Although we don’t foresee Apple developing its own line of sleep-tracking devices, the iPhone-maker could make use of those thin, flexible sensors that...collect an impressive amount of information.
...
The fact that Beddit is no longer touting its watchOS companion app suggests that its technology might be incorporated into the Apple Watch. A natural fit...since Beddit has tapped into the gamification of sleep. Adding advanced sleep monitoring capabilities would make the Apple Watch the activity tracker that never sleeps.
So Apple is on the way to better monitoring your health. Great news, although Howard Green, MD has a wake-up call:
Lol, only 10,000 more diseases to digitize.