Dive Brief:
- Apple confirmed its first known digital health acquisition, Fast Company reported.
- The company bought the health data startup Gliimpse earlier this year but only recently confirmed the acquisition.
- "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," the company was quoted in Fast Company. The financials were not disclosed.
Dive Insight:
Gliimpse began in 2013 hoping to make interoperability actually interoperable by aggregating health data into a single digital patient record. The Redwood City, CA-based startup have raised at least $1 million in seed funding, Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.
The move looks to boost Apple's current healthcare portfolio. CEO Tim Cook told Fast Company that "he sees a major business opportunity for the company in the non-regulated side of health care."
The market/arena Gliimpse is operating in is very competitive and interoperability has historically been a hard nut to crack. That said, the blessing from one of the best known brands in the world is likely to give it an edge as well as higher expectations of usability/functionality.
Fast Company notes it's not certain as of yet how Gliimpse's technology will be baked into Apple's tech suite. In fact, it states previous tech acquisitions have resulted in very different-looking products post-Apple acquisition.