In the latest issue of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman provided some updates on Apple’s advancements in health features for AirPods. While this topic has been covered in previous reports, this update offers additional clarity.
The newsletter reveals that Apple is exploring numerous health functionalities, such as a heart-rate monitor, a temperature sensor, and various new sensors aimed at tracking multiple physiological metrics. Currently, Apple is primarily concentrated on perfecting the heart rate sensor.
During internal trials, Apple has observed improved accuracy in heart-rate data relative to the Apple Watch; however, Gurman suggests that AirPods are also not far behind. Specifics regarding other health features and timelines remain unclear, but Gurman anticipates their introduction “over the coming years,” potentially debuting with the AirPods Pro 3.
Furthermore, Apple is investigating the integration of cameras into AirPods. Although this initiative was previously scrapped, it has been revived due to Apple’s renewed interest in creating products tailored for the AI era. Gurman emphasizes that this project is prioritized by both AI and AirPods development teams, but it remains a few years away:
It is, in fact, now viewed as a priority for the teams across Apple’s AI and AirPods hardware development groups. However, it is unlikely that this technology will become available for a couple more years — assuming it doesn’t face cancellation again.
This year, Apple rolled out a firmware update for AirPods Pro 2, introducing hearing health capabilities and enabling the use of AirPods as an FDA-certified hearing aid. With these features now available, it is evident that Apple is shifting towards a health-centric approach, making it likely that health features for AirPods will be extended to users who do not own an Apple Watch.
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