Apple seems to have quietly discontinued the Beddit Sleep Monitor that it sold in its online store this month — and it brings up some interesting possibilities.
What Is Beddit?
Beddit was a company that developed and produced sleep- and health-related devices. In May, Apple acquired Beddit — but, in an unusual fashion, it continued to sell the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor exclusively on Apple.com. That is, until earlier this month. The device is now listed as “Sold Out” on Apple’s online store. Typically, when an Apple product is listed as “Sold Out,” it means that it won’t be restocked.
The Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor is — or, was — a thin sensor that fit underneath a user’s sheets or blankets. Among other things, the $149 device tracked a variety of data, such as sleep time and quality, heart rate, snoring, movement, and room temperature and humidity. And similar to the Apple Watch’s sensor suite, it used a BCG sensor to non-invasively monitor heart, lung and body function.
Now that it’s seemingly gone, it opens up a wealth of possibilities for what Apple could do with the technology and the data it provided.
3 They’ve Collected Enough Sleep Data
The company is positioning itself to be a leader in the future of health technology. Its top secret fitness lab should be an indication of that. The fact that it’s collected more fitness data than any other organization in modern history is a hint, too.
Apple could use the data that it’s collected to create more sophisticated and accurate sleep and health monitoring systems for their other products. Even today, Apple is probably still collecting information on user sleep quality from the existing Beddit 3 monitors already in the hands of customers. It could continue to do so, even if it doesn’t sell any more Beddit 3 devices.
These upgraded health and sleep monitoring systems could be then rolled into future versions of the Apple Watch. Of course, since current Apple Watch devices typically needs to be charged overnight, Apple would have to rethink the device’s battery life or charging system.
2 Apple Branded Sleep Monitor
Alternatively, Apple could debut its own version of the Beddit 3 — an Apple-branded, dedicated sleep monitoring device that could fit in nicely with the larger HomeKit ecosystem. With the HomePod, Apple seems to be taking a first tentative step into first-party smart home platforms. It’s not too far-fetched of an idea to think that it has other plans in that realm, too.
1 An Entirely Different Device
On the other hand, the technology could be used in an entirely new device or form factor. While this option is probably years off, it’s a possibility made even more exciting when one considers Apple’s previous patents on smart fabric and flexible displays.
Here’s the Caveat
Of course, this is all speculation — and it assumes that the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor is indeed being discontinued. But if it’s true, it hints at Apple’s greater ambitions and plans in the health tech field.
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