Apple has announced that it is testing special sleep-tracking technology for its next smart watch.
The company has been testing a sleep monitoring feature for months at secret locations near its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
If tests prove the new functionality to be successful, Apple will incorporate the technology into the Apple Watch by 2020. The company has been releasing smart watches every year since the fall of 2016. Thus, thanks to the new development, Apple may impose competition to Fitbit and Withings, formerly operating under the Nokia Health brand.
The new Apple Watch will not be the first step toward sleep tracking devices in the iPhone maker's portfolio. In May 2017, Apple acquired the Finnish startup Beddit, which specializes in the production of sleep tracking tape. Apple currently sells products under the Beddit brand on its website.
Apple is looking to turn investors' attention to other products, including smartwatches, amid slowing smartphone sales. Since the Apple Watch went on sale, the gadget has been among the most popular smart accessories on the market. Apple's wearable devices, home products and accessories accounted for $17.4 billion in sales last year. By comparison, iPhone sales generated $164.9 billion in revenue for the company.
Apple Watch sales figures are not disclosed, but it is known that the company sold 4.5 million units in the third quarter of 2018, which is almost half of the entire smartwatch market. In 2019, analysts expect smartwatch shipments in the global market to increase by 40%, to the mark of 74.1 million units.