How Apple’s Purchase of Startup Reveals Health Data Strategy

Apple’s recent acquisition of health startup Gliimpse is the latest in a long series of strategic moves by the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to capture mindshare and market share in a healthcare industry increasingly reliant on data. News of the tech giant’s purchase of Gliimpse—a personal health record aggregator—did not come from Apple, which does not comment on its acquisitions or the strategy behind them. Reports of the acquisition first surfaced in Fast Company, a business magazine that covers the technology industry.

Apple and Gliimpse executives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, technology analysts were quick to speculate on the company’s rationale for the buy in light of Apple’s recent forays into the healthcare market. The collection of consumers’ health data and providing actionable insights is at the heart of the startup buy, they contend.

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2013, Gliimpse has been working toward creating a technology for collecting and archiving personalized medical information, and enabling consumers to share that information with healthcare providers in a bundled, secure product. In that light, analysts say Gliimpse seems like a natural fit for Apple—a smartphone powerhouse—with millions of iPhones sold in the U.S. providing a mobile platform for users to gather and share their health data...