Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to launch a new AI-powered health coaching service, codenamed Quartz, according to a Bloomberg report, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
The service will use AI and data from an Apple Watch to make personalized suggestions and tailored coaching programs to users to help them exercise, improve eating habits and sleep better.
Quartz is part of Apple's broader health push, which has made health and wellness features central to its devices, especially the Apple Watch. The coaching service will carry a monthly fee and will be its own app, according to the sources.
Additionally, the company is set to roll out an iPad version of its iPhone health app later this year to boost its popularity in healthcare settings.
The company is also adding tools for tracking emotion and managing vision conditions, such as nearsightedness, to the health app this year. Users will be able to track their emotions, answer daily questions, and view their progress over time using the emotion tracker. But in the future, Apple hopes to use algorithms to determine a user's mood through speech, typing, and other device data.
Apple aims to reveal the new iPad app and emotion and vision management tools at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. However, the coaching service, which is a more significant step, will not be announced this year, according to people familiar with the project.
Finally, the company is working on noninvasive glucose monitoring that would use sensors, rather than a finger prick, to measure blood-sugar levels, and plans to bring a basic form of blood-pressure monitoring to its watch in the next few years.
The company's health and wellness strategy is set to be complemented by the upcoming mixed-reality headset, which is scheduled to debut in June. A feature of the headset will enable users to meditate while wearing it, and Apple is also working on an optimized version of its Fitness+ workout service.