Apple job listing hints at health tracking

Job posting is latest sign that Apple is working on gadgets and software that track users' physical activities and health data

Apple Battery(Photo: Newsy)

SAN FRANCISCO – Signs that Apple is working on a wearable gadget and software to track users' health data keep showing up.

The latest is a job listing posted by the Silicon Valley technology giant that seeks a physiologist to design and run user studies on "cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure."

The posting, reported earlier on Thursday by the technology website 9to5mac^[1], said the candidate must have a good understanding of physiological monitoring equipment, measurement techniques and how to interpret results.

The type of data that will be tracked and measured in the tests includes calories burned, metabolic rate and aerobic fitness levels, according to Apple's job listing.

Apple is under pressure from Wall Street to come out with new products in big new categories this year as growth from its main product, the iPhone, wanes. CEO Tim Cook has said that Apple is interested in wearable technology and analysts expect a smart watch from the company soon.

Speculation about an iWatch that monitors users' activities, health and fitness increased last week after it emerged that Apple executives met recently^[2] with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to discuss mobile medical applications.