One of the big knocks against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the last couple of years is the company hasn’t come out with anything interesting. Any new products have just been tiny upgrades on existing models, which isn’t enough to get the general public excited.
The last truly innovative thing to come from Apple was the Apple Watch, which was first introduced in 2015. Even the most passionate Apple fans can agree -- the watch hasn’t really lived up to expectations.
Reports say Apple’s newest project could truly be revolutionary. The company has approximately 30 people working on an upgrade which will allow an Apple Watch to monitor the blood sugar level for diabetics without having to draw blood.
There aren’t a lot of details about the technology, but reports say it will use optical sensors to monitor blood glucose levels.
The Type 1 Diabetes market could be potentially huge for Apple. In the United States alone, some three million people suffer with the disease. Approximately 15% are children, who particularly struggle with the burden of drawing blood to monitor their blood sugar.
Apple isn’t the only company working on this. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)(NASDAQ:GOOG) is working on something similar. It has several partnerships that are attempting to tackle the problem, including one that uses a special contact lens to monitor blood sugar.
Dexcom Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), a medical device company, currently offers a continuous blood glucose monitor that users can put under their skin. Needless to say, similar technology inside the Apple Watch would be the better choice.
