Apple is in the process of developing a new screen-less fitness tracker that would put it into competition with Whoop — the fitness tech firm whose valuation recently crested $10 billion.
Bloomberg reports that the iPhone maker is currently engaged in a “technology investigation” — which, just as it sounds, is an exploratory effort to decide whether it will fully develop a product and release it. A number of prototypes have been developed around the item, the outlet notes.
The device — which is described as “a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module” — would not be released until at least 2028, Bloomberg said.
It’s worth noting that Apple already sells a fitness tracker in the form of its Apple Watch (the wearable records workouts, heart rate, sleep, and other categories). However, the new form factor sounds relatively similar to Whoop, which sells simple fitness bands that the company says can track a variety of 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.