New details: Apple's new health wearable will be lined with sensors

A new report today cites “industry sources” saying that Apple is working on a health wearable that it will release next October.

The story, from Nikkei Asian Review, says the new watch-like wearable will run on iOS 8, and will be equipped with a centralized function to manage users’ biometric information via smartphones.

VentureBeat’s own source confirms the story, saying that the new device will likely use a curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen. Our source says the display design is “sleek” and “aerodynamic”, and bests the design of Samsung’s most recent health wearable, the Gear Fit.

Our source says the band of the watch will be lined with various sensors that will detect things like blood pressure, pulse rate, blood sugar levels, and blood oxygen levels.

The new device will also collect less clinical things like calorie consumption, and sleep activity. It will also allow users to read messages sent by smartphones.

The new device will presumably send health data up to Apple’s newly-announced HealtKit platform, which is intended as a health data repository that may be accessed.

Apple plans to make about 3-5 million of the new devices, a number that exceeds the total global sales of watch-like devices last year.

Apple is working on the new device with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, the report says.