Hardware Exploration
Apple is in the process of developing a new screen-less fitness tracker that would put it into competition with Whoop.
Reports indicate that the company is currently engaged in an exploratory technology investigation to decide whether to fully develop and release the product, with several prototypes already created.
The device is described as a thin fabric band equipped with a sensor-equipped computing module and would not be released until at least 2028.
Market Context
While Apple already sells the Apple Watch for fitness and health tracking, this new form factor closely mirrors Whoop's approach of offering simple fitness bands for health metrics.
TechCrunch reached out to Apple for more information.
The report arrives at a time when Apple is in a period of transition. Tim Cook stepped down from his position as CEO in August to now act as executive chairman, as new CEO John Ternus took the wheel. The company has also faced headwinds due to rising costs from a memory shortage. Despite this, it has promised a slate of new devices, including a new foldable phone, new tablets, and a new MacBook Pro. Meanwhile, it’s engaged in litigation against OpenAI, which it has accused of trade theft, as the battle to build the best hardware for the AI age continues.
