Roger Fingas
Apple has reportedly bought Tueo Health, a startup that was developing asthma-tracking technology for use with sleeping kids.
The exact date of the takeover is unknown, but Tueo's CEO and COO changed their employers to "Apple" on LinkedIn in late 2018, CNBC said on Friday. Apple has refused to comment.
Tueo was specifically developing a mobile app compatible with commercial breathing sensors. In case of sudden problems, the app would push out an alert.
Apple's aims with the acquisition are uncertain, but CEO Tim Cook recently admitted that it buys a new startup "on average every two to three weeks," and primarily for "talent and intellectual property." It could be therefore that there are no asthma-related hardware or HealthKit plans.
WWDC 2019 schedules recently revealed plans for hearing health in iOS 13, however, and the OS as a whole is expected to include new health features when it arrives this fall. Cook has previously argued that healthcare will be "Apple's greatest contribution to mankind."
Publicly, Apple is known to have bought two other health firms so far. It bought records specialist Gliimpse in 2016, ultimately using that to launch its own records-sharing system. It bought sleep-tracking firm Beddit in 2017, but hasn't taken advantage of that beyond a poorly-received redesign of the Beddit Sleep Monitor.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
6 Comments
Man these are innovations we don't even think about.
Cue the "Will asthma monitoring hit Apple Watch?" articles popping up as if we were smart enough to predict it.
I don't have asthma or any sickness, thankfully, but I think that another big one that Apple is probably working on is glucose monitoring.
It'll be interesting to see what the Apple Watch will be like in future versions. It might very well turn into an essential item, just like everybody needs and uses a toothbrush, or almost everybody. :#
Another existing market to disrupt in the works, medical devices and software. Cue the predictions of failure in a “mature” market. Go back to making desktop Macs instead will be the talking point.
I know a great healthcare company that Apple could buy. It’ll resolve all problems with your blood. It’s a pretty good buy right now; a steal even. It’s called Theranos. Any takers?