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For people with diabetes, the Apple Watch could soon become indispensable.

BGRclaims to have "exclusive" information from a source "familiar with Apple's plans" about the company's efforts to develop groundbreaking new ways to harness the Watch's health-tracking potential.

Apple aims to introduce the first-ever method for non-invasive glucose monitoring as a feature in an upcoming version of the Watch, according to the source. The introduction of tech like that would be a major breakthrough for those living with diabetes, who are typically forced to track their glucose through a variety of more invasive means, like pricking their fingers for blood tests.

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The source says Apple has "hired 200 PhDs in the past year" for the work. This "exclusive" leak follows another report last month claiming the company has a secret team of scientists on a quest to attain the "holy grail" that is non-invasive glucose monitoring. That report only mentioned a team of 30 scientists (plus a dozen new recruits), so a dedicated work group numbering in the hundreds would be a much bigger deal -- if the reports are true, that is.

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BGR's source claims the monitoring could be accomplished using interchangeable “smart watch bands” that could give the Apple Watch a modular twist; each band could potentially serve a different purpose, like a camera band or an extra battery band.

The current iteration of the Apple Watch is no healthcare slouch, either. A recent study found the smartwatch's heart rate sensor can be harnessed to diagnose the most common heart abnormality, atrial fibrillation, more accurately than the current standard practices.

Even Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed he's lost 30 pounds using the device, which is the best-selling wearable on the market.

While the monitoring tech is exciting, there's no real evidence pointing to its development. Even if the leaks in this report are true, there's no clear indication of when the tech could arrive -- the source only said the tech is in the works for an upcoming version of the Watch, not necessarily the very next one.

Apple reps didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about the report.

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TopicsAppleApple Watch

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