Apple's New Quartz Wellness Feature Is A Mood
Apple's subscription services reached a record 900 million users at the end of 2022, with fitness being one of the fastest growth drivers. Analysts estimate the company's Fitness+ service could reach a staggering $3.6. billion revenue figure as early as 2025. It looks like Apple wants to make its health offering even more irresistible with the addition of some impressive new tricks in the coming months. Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning an AI-powered coaching service codenamed Quartz to boost its fitness portfolio.
The service is said to focus on emotional tracking, which is not surprising, considering the booming market for apps that assist with mental well-being and stress management. Quartz will reportedly arrive in the form of its own standalone app and will charge a monthly fee. However, it's unclear if Apple will offer a bundled deal with the existing Fitness+ subscription.
The report, which cites unnamed internal sources, claims that Quartz will "keep users motivated to exercise, improve eating habits and help them sleep better." Unsurprisingly, the AI engine powering Quartz will reportedly source its data from the biosensors fitted on the Apple Watch. Based on the collected information, the service is said to offer personalized advice, aside from creating full-fledged coaching routines for users. Notably, the coaching service is not expected to arrive in 2023.
Emotions as a service
The Health app, on the other hand, will soon let users log details about their mood at any given time of the day, and based on the answers they give to certain questions, the app will create a long-term emotional profile for them. Down the road, Apple reportedly has even more ambitious plans, which involve speech and text analysis via an iPhone to more accurately gauge the emotional state of users. Apple is expected to unveil the updated Health app and other health-centric features at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
The company is also said to be planning the arrival of its health tricks on the iPad, which is not surprising, as the Fitness+ service fully arrived on the iPhone with iOS 16.1 late last year. The company reportedly aims to port the Health app for iPadOS with the release of iPadOS 17 later this year, offering users a larger canvas to take a peek at their health and fitness statistics. Apple is also said to be cooking up a feature that will assist users with visual impairments. The leak also claims that Apple aims to leverage its highly-anticipated mixed reality headset for doling out fitness-centric services, with a focus on meditation exercises.