It’s no secret that Apple wants to improve the sleep-tracking abilities of its devices, with special emphasis on the Apple Watch smartwatch. Various reports and patents suggested in the past that Apple is interested in helping users improve their sleep by offering built-in sleep tracking features into its devices. And Apple finally made a move that further confirms that idea. The company quietly acquired a new company, one that deals in sleep.
Called Beddit, the company offers a sleep tracking app and a piece of hardware that’s already available for sale in Apple retail stores. The Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor is a sensor strip that can be placed under a bedsheet to track your movements during sleep, and it retails for $149 at Apple.
Apple did not announce the purchase, but CNBC found an updated privacy policy on Beddit’s site that confirms Apple purchased the company.
“Beddit has been acquired by Apple,” the note, dated May 8th, reads. “Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy.”
It’s unclear how much Apple paid for Beddit, and whether Apple will continue to make Beddit hardware in the future. The most logical move for Apple would be to integrate Beddit technology into watchOS and eliminate the need of a standalone tracker. On the other hand, the Watch does require frequent charging and many people choose to charge the wearable during the night. That means any sleep-tracking features that would require the user to actually wear the device while sleeping would not work.
