Consumers might just about be getting used to companies tracking their every move but Apple is set to go one step further by monitoring customers when they are asleep, after buying Finnish sleep analysis start-up Beddit, for an undisclosed fee.
The deal will help pave the way for the tech giant to track users’ sleeping patterns and combine this with data already collected by the Apple Watch and the company’s iPhone fitness app, Health.
So far, sleep tracking has not been possible as the Apple Watch’s battery life does not last long enough to be worn all day and night for more than 24 hours at a time.
Beddit launched its products in Apple stores in late 2015. Apple stores carrying products serve as a great physical version of an app analytics suite, allowing Apple to see with firsthand data what’s popular and the demographic attraction of its products.
The Finnish company was founded in 2007 and has received about $3.5m (£271m) in funding. Its latest product, the Beddit 3, is a thin strip of sensors that goes across a user’s bed, analyzing sleep-related data such as “sleep time and efficiency, heart rate, respiration, temperature, movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity,” according to a product description. The device retails for about $150 (£116) and is available on the Apple Store page.
The terms and conditions of Beddit’s iPhone app now state: “Beddit has been acquired by Apple. Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy.”
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