When it was launched, it was clear that the Apple Watch Series 2 was trying to score points with fitness diehards, with a built-in GPS chip, waterproofing (to a point), and a special Nike Plus edition being the main draws.
There are still some fitness functionalities that the Series 2 is missing, but according to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is working on a few apps that will enable it to continue to expand into the health and fitness market. The most notable of these include an app that tracks sleep patterns, and another that uses heart rate data to analyse general fitness levels.
These apps would make use of hardware that's already on the Apple Watch but isn't utilised as well as it could be, such as the heart rate monitor, which does allow users to track their heart rate but doesn't offer any analysis on what it tracks.
As yet there isn't any sleep-tracking application available on the smartwatch at all.
It probably doesn't know if you've been bad or good
It's not clear when these additions to the Apple Watch will be made since some other improvements might have to come first – longer battery life would be needed to offer any hope of an efficient sleep tracker unless users are expected to purchase a day watch and a night watch.
Focusing on adding health apps like this chimes with Apple's long-term goal to make the Apple Watch much more than a supplementary accessory for its iPhone.
Bloomberg states that the "ultimate goal" for the company is to turn its HealthKit software into a diagnostic tool that can be used by doctors, patients, and hospitals to share data with one another and improve the efficiency of healthcare.
