Apple’s reportedly interested in medical devices, Tesla cars

by Andrew Webster

Feb 16, 2014, 6:16 PM UTC

Apple Store cube stock 1020

Andrew Webster is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

Apple is looking to expand into new product categories, but just what those categories may be is currently a mystery. However, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, the answer might end up being very surprising — the paper claims that Apple is looking to expand into both medical devices and cars.

A device that listens to your blood

The report is light on details, but the Chronicle claims that Apple is particularly interested in medicine, and is working with audio engineer Tomlinson Holman to develop a device that could predict heart attacks by listening to the sound of your blood. Holman is known for developing several notable audio technologies, including Lucasfilm's THX system and the first 10.2 sound system. This isn't the first we've heard of Apple's interest in medicine — last month some of Apple's top executives reportedly met with the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss the potential for "mobile medical applications."

When it comes to Apple's interest in cars, the report is less clear. The Chronicle claims that Apple's corporate dealmaker Adrian Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cupertino last spring, but there are no details as to what the meeting might relate to. Apple has shown some interest in automotive technologies in the past. Last June the company announced plans to bring iOS to vehicles, and earlier this year we saw a leak of what that may look like — but how this might be connected to Tesla is unclear. Last October Apple's hardware VP left the company to help Tesla develop new vehicles.

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