The Apple Watch will soon monitor your sleep quality: report

Apple is currently testing a sleep-tracking feature for a future Apple Watch release, according to a new report by Bloomberg.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech company has released a new Apple Watch model every fall since the second generation of Apple Watches came out in 2016. According to the report’s source, if all goes well in the testing phase, Apple is likely looking at a 2020 launch for an Apple Watch with sleep monitoring features.

As Bloomberg reports, Apple’s main smartwatch competitor, Fitbit, has long had sleep tracking features in its devices. In order to compete with their wearable device rival, one of Apple’s main challenges will be its battery. Fitbit boasts that its smartwatches can last as long as a week on a single charge. Current generations of the Apple Watch need to be charged nightly, which isn’t feasible for a sleep monitoring device.

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Apple does not share how many Apple Watches it has sold. However, the company has reported that its Wearables, Home and Accessories category, which the smartwatch falls under, generated $17.4 billion in revenue in 2018.

Tech consumers may be surprised to know that Apple already has a stand-alone sleep monitoring product, which it currently sells in its online store, called “Beddit.” The iPhone maker acquired the company behind the device in 2017.

Since the launch of its Health app for the iPhone, Apple has prominently displayed a sleep tab which tracks a user’s sleeping habits. However, this feature currently requires users to input information, such as their bedtime, to track.

With the addition of electrocardiogram (ECG) readings and irregular heart rhythm notifications (IHR), Apple transformed the Apple Watch from an iPhone add-on to a medical monitoring device with its Series 4 release last fall. 

Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company’s greatest contributions will be health-related. Clearly, the Apple Watch plays a major role in those offerings. Sleep monitoring is an obvious next step.

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