Apple’s smart watch will sport a flurry of sensors, Healthbook app

Feb 1, 2014 08:35 GMT  ·  By

Apple’s plans for the wearables industry are beginning to take shape with iOS 8 and the planned launch of its revolutionary iWatch this year, according to people briefed on the matter.

Sources tell 9to5mac that “Apple currently plans to release a new version of the iPhone operating system this year with health and fitness tracking integration as its headline feature.”

The software will include an app codenamed “Healthbook” that “will be capable of monitoring and storing fitness statistics such as steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked.”

The full version of the app will presumably sit on the iPhone and it will communicate with the iWatch, which is likely to feature a stripped-down version of Healthbook.

The app will have the ability to manage and track weight loss, and it will monitor a user’s vital signs, including blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate, glucose levels, etc.

Through a Passbook-like interface, users will be able to enter details about their medication. The Healthbook app will remind people when to take their pills, etc.

iOS 8 itself is codenamed “Okemo,” a popular ski resort in Vermont, US, the sources added.

Apple’s plans with the iWatch are nothing short of ambitious. The company is really sinking its teeth into the idea of making this wearable computer a full-fledged personal assistant for every user out there.

If the rumors are to be believed, iWatch will not only monitor your life signs, but it will also offer a control center for all your text messages, emails, calls, etc. It will probably have Siri on it too.

And if history is any indication, Apple will demonstrate its iOS 8 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference this summer. An iWatch announcement is not unlikely.

The Cupertino giant is also said to be preparing at least one new iPhone model featuring a bigger display.