News

Apple Rumored To Be Trialing Blood Glucose Management

The Cupertino company is reportedly exploring the benefits for pre-diabetic users, though public release plans remain uncertain.

Published

2 years ago

October 27, 2024

Nour Nasir

Apple

Apple is reportedly exploring new ways to monitor blood glucose levels, this time focusing on software-based solutions. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has already tested an app specifically aimed at helping pre-diabetic users manage diet and lifestyle choices. While Apple currently has no plans to launch the app to the public, it may influence future health-focused offerings.

The app was reportedly tested internally, with Apple identifying potential employee test subjects using blood test data. Participants were chosen if they were at risk of developing Type-2 diabetes and given software to actively monitor their blood sugar via various devices available on the market, logging glucose changes in response to their food choices. The app tracked these trends, correlating dietary adjustments to blood sugar levels.

Gurman mentions that Apple has since paused the app’s testing to concentrate on other health-related features. Apple’s Health app currently lacks a meal tracking feature — something that’s readily available on competing platforms. The report also suggests Apple could eventually integrate third-party glucose-tracking capabilities into its own ecosystem.

Also Read: Apple Watch Gets UAE Approval For Sleep Apnea Detection

The recent experiments by Apple are said to be separate from the company’s long-term goal of developing a non-invasive method for monitoring blood glucose levels — a project that has been under exploration for around 15 years. Apple’s current prototype device for non-invasive glucose monitoring is reportedly about the size of an iPhone and uses laser technology to penetrate the skin with light.

Gurman speculates that Apple’s initial consumer version may take the form of an alert system that notifies users if they are at risk of pre-diabetes, with specific blood glucose level readings possibly arriving in later versions of the device.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.