Apple's Beddit Sleep Tracking Company Now Offering Beta for Testing New Features

[MacRumors]

Apple-owned Beddit recently launched a new beta testing program that's designed to allow those who own the new Beddit 3.5 device released in December to test new and upcoming features.

In a new "Beta Program" section of the Beddit website (via 9to5Mac), Beddit says it is launching a new customer beta program that will let customers contribute to "making the product even better."

Through the Beddit Beta Program, you will have early access to new versions of the Beddit app before the general public. Participants will share valuable feedback with Apple Inc. ("Apple") such as app use, app settings, sleep results, and other diagnostic information. We may also request additional feedback through surveys. More information about how this data will be shared with Apple will be explained in an informed consent form that you must complete before starting the program.

The beta program will provide early access to new versions of the Beddit app prior to when those updates are released. No specific details on what features might be tested were included.

Participants must own a Beddit Sleep Monitor (version 3.5), must be located in the United States and using Beddit only in the United States, and need to be at least 22 years old but not over 75 years old.

Participants must also agree to receive email communications from Apple "from time to time" about the Beddit Beta Program.

Beddit 3.5 owners can sign up for the beta on the website by clicking on the "Enroll Now" button to send an email to the Beddit support staff.

Apple released the updated Beddit 3.5 back in December. The new model received some criticism for doing away with features like an ambiguous "sleep score," but in our review, we found it to be much more accurate than the Beddit 3 sleep monitor.

The Beddit 3.5 marked the first new version of the device since Apple's 2017 acquisition of the company. It's not clear what Apple is doing with sleep data collected from the Beddit, but it could be used for developing a future sleep-related Apple product, such as sleep tracking capabilities for Apple Watch.

Article Link: Apple's Beddit Sleep Tracking Company Now Offering Beta for Testing New Features

 

[oliversl]

Is this the solution for having the charge the Apple Watch every night?

 

[bored]

BBEdit the text editor?

 

[dannyyankou]

Is this the solution for having the charge the Apple Watch every night?

Yes. Unfortunately, technology doesn’t yet exist to make a lithium ion battery last all day and all night, 24/7/365. If you want to use the watch for sleep tracking, you have to charge it every once in a while.

 

[uecker87]

When I saw that USB cord, I totally expected it to be a USB to Lightning cable - you know, just for the hell of it. Ha. :/

 

[Mr. Donahue]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

 

[meaning-matters]

Read that sleep tracking worsens sleep.

The natural thrives if left alone.

 

[Jimmy James]

Yes. Unfortunately, technology doesn’t yet exist to make a lithium ion battery last all day and all night, 24/7/365. If you want to use the watch for sleep tracking, you have to charge it every once in a while.

Maybe they need an “automatic” self-winding version like a traditional watch. Some bedtime activities might give us a full charge.

 

[entropys]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

Well to be fair, it is only a monitor. So it would tell you if all your diet and exercise regimes are making a difference. Or if a sleep apnea machine is making a difference.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I find that my sleep is best improved by just getting all the electronic gadgets out of the area around my bed and forgetting about them for the night.

 

[japanime]

Participants ... need to be at least 22 years old but not over 75 years old.

Genuinely curious why the beta testers would be limited to this age group. Granted, it's a wide range, and I understand why teens and children might be excluded. But why would the starting age be 22 rather than 21, or even 18? And why cap it at 75?

Hopefully somebody here who has experience with statistics can explain it in simple terms for folks like me.

 

[Cavepainter]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

Both my parents have memory issues as is very common with the elderly- dad was having various problems and felt awful, so at the Mayo Clinic the first thing they did was have him do an overnight sleep study at the clinic where they monitored his sleep patterns. They found out he was waking up over 75 times each night (!) That led to him getting a sleep apnea machine so he could actually get some REAL sleep for the first time in years. (Thank you, Mayo Clinic!!)

Many elderly may have issues with sleep patterns BUT they also have memory issues- so they cant really honestly answer any questions a doctor (or a caregiver) may have about their sleep. I could see this as a very helpful medical diagnostic product.

I don't understand why they sell alot of things that I don't use......... but that doesn't mean the product is absurd. It just means you're not the market for this product.

 

[yiasou]

Why cant Apple just improve the battery of the watch so it tracks sleep like Fitbit do

 

[ersan191]

Yes. Unfortunately, technology doesn’t yet exist to make a lithium ion battery last all day and all night, 24/7/365. If you want to use the watch for sleep tracking, you have to charge it every once in a while.

Gotta switch to nuclear batteries, just don't drop your watch!

 

[SeattleMoose]

If you can't sleep, try reading a math book when you get in bed at night. Works like a charm!!! Differential equations are my secret weapon. 2 minutes tops!!!

 

[DoctorTech]

Genuinely curious why the beta testers would be limited to this age group. Granted, it's a wide range, and I understand why teens and children might be excluded. But why would the starting age be 22 rather than 21, or even 18? And why cap it at 75?

Hopefully somebody here who has experience with statistics can explain it in simple terms for folks like me.

This is speculation on my part but as people age, their sleeping patterns tend to shift. Some tend to eat dinner really early and go to bed early. Others have trouble falling asleep at all. My guess is that Apple is looking for more "typical" participants for this sample. Or, it could be that Apple doesn't expect to sell many sleep monitors to people over 75 so they are optimizing the design & software for people in their target age range. Again, just speculation on my part but I have some experience with this type of research so I would consider this "informed speculation".

 

[japanime]

This is speculation on my part but as people age, their sleeping patterns tend to shift. Some tend to eat dinner really early and go to bed early. Others have trouble falling asleep at all. My guess is that Apple is looking for more "typical" participants for this sample. Or, it could be that Apple doesn't expect to sell many sleep monitors to people over 75 so they are optimizing the design & software for people in their target age range. Again, just speculation on my part but I have some experience with this type of research so I would consider this "informed speculation".

That seems to make sense. Thanks!

 

[CouponPages]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

I used a FitBit for a while to track my sleep and it actually helped improve my sleep.

The main reason was similar to the reason I use the Apple Watch to remind me of how many minutes of exercise and motion I make each day. So I'd set a goal to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

I learned two things from it.

First, I wasn't getting nearly as many quality hours of sleep I should, even on nights I got to bed early. I could see exactly how long each sleep period was before tossing and turning, and how long I tossed and turned before starting another quality sleep cycle.

Second, I noticed a pattern to my sleep quality. On my BEST nights, I had a bathroom break in the first half of the night, and on the BAD nights I didn't go at all... or stayed in bed longer before using the bathroom.

This information made it clear to me that whenever I resisted the urge to get out of bed and use the bathroom, I would toss and turn more than normal, so even though I may be tired, it is better for me to hit the bathroom and enjoy the rest of the night in comfort.

I could've figured it out without the device, but the tracking made this pattern so much easier to recognize.

 

[SpeedyTomato]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

When I see responses like this that are this categorically negative without any attempt to make your claim, I would normally pass you off as being a troll. But since you genuinely can't seem to see the world beyond yourself, let me explain why I am looking forward to something like this.
- Despite being in good shape with respect to weight, I have sleep apnea. I regularly track my O2 levels every night as I use my CPAP.
- My sleep apnea has caused heart issues, so tracking my heart rate while I sleep is an important metric.
- How much I move at night gives additional feedback that I use with the other (above) data to help me and my doctor make decisions.

Now, you can go back to your self-centered world while the rest of us rejoice when something useful comes out.

 

[ipedro]

I've been really curious why Apple acquired this company. The Beddit hardware is destined to be made obsolete by an Apple Watch with a longer battery life that allows it to be worn during sleep and the software analysis isn't all that great when compared to other companies like Withings.

I think that this finally answers that. They've kept the company "independent" and don't have any interest to have it known as an Apple brand nor do they promote it. However, collecting sleep data from an apparent third party company makes sense. Apple gets to build up its sleep knowledge from a niche product whose research can then be applied to Apple Watch.

My bet: Apple collects a couple of years of data, builds sleep tracking into the Watch and then kills Beddit. It'll have served its purpose.

 

[DoctorTech]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

You could say the same thing for a pair of bathroom scales. If a person is overweight they can probably tell by looking in the mirror so what is the point of the scales? Then there are scales that not only tell you your weight but they also measure / estimate your body mass index.

Some people find this information useful for assessing and monitoring their health. The scales and the sleep monitor are both just tools for people who want to quantify / track their weight and sleep (there just happens to be a lot more people who see the value in quantifying their weight than their sleep). I like the analogy another person posted above about the activity rings on an Apple Watch - they are a tool to help you understand your habits better and encourage you to improve.
[doublepost=1560823843][/doublepost]

I've been really curious why Apple acquired this company. The Beddit hardware is destined to be made obsolete by an Apple Watch with a longer battery life that allows it to be worn during sleep and the software analysis isn't all that great when compared to other companies like Withings.

I think that this finally answers that. They've kept the company "independent" and don't have any interest to have it known as an Apple brand nor do they promote it. However, collecting sleep data from an apparent third party company makes sense. Apple gets to build up its sleep knowledge from a niche product whose research can then be applied to Apple Watch.

My bet: Apple collects a couple of years of data, builds sleep tracking into the Watch and then kills Beddit. It'll have served its purpose.

That is a great observation. The same question had crossed my mind and I think you nailed it.

 

[matrix07]

I've been really curious why Apple acquired this company. The Beddit hardware is destined to be made obsolete by an Apple Watch with a longer battery life that allows it to be worn during sleep and the software analysis isn't all that great when compared to other companies like Withings.

I think that this finally answers that. They've kept the company "independent" and don't have any interest to have it known as an Apple brand nor do they promote it. However, collecting sleep data from an apparent third party company makes sense. Apple gets to build up its sleep knowledge from a niche product whose research can then be applied to Apple Watch.

My bet: Apple collects a couple of years of data, builds sleep tracking into the Watch and then kills Beddit. It'll have served its purpose.

Yep.

Apple has built labs to collect exercise data before launching Apple Watch. They could have done the same with sleep but I think they thought it’ll be much cheaper buying this company for data.

 

[shyam09]

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

I think we're at the point in technological innovation where the ease of access to health-related information and data is just interesting to look at and analyze.

One can argue the same applies to the Apple Watch or the Health app (ie. whatever tracking Apple does via the iPhone) or the many multitudes of health devices on the market. We don't need any of that to judge our physical health because proper diet and exercise are really all we need. However, I wouldn't classify someone to be an idiot simply because they bought this simply because you don't see any value.

I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

Ignorance is bliss ... I guess?

 

[e-coli]

[doublepost=1560857257][/doublepost]

I used a FitBit for a while to track my sleep and it actually helped improve my sleep.

The main reason was similar to the reason I use the Apple Watch to remind me of how many minutes of exercise and motion I make each day. So I'd set a goal to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

I learned two things from it.

First, I wasn't getting nearly as many quality hours of sleep I should, even on nights I got to bed early. I could see exactly how long each sleep period was before tossing and turning, and how long I tossed and turned before starting another quality sleep cycle.

Second, I noticed a pattern to my sleep quality. On my BEST nights, I had a bathroom break in the first half of the night, and on the BAD nights I didn't go at all... or stayed in bed longer before using the bathroom.

This information made it clear to me that whenever I resisted the urge to get out of bed and use the bathroom, I would toss and turn more than normal, so even though I may be tired, it is better for me to hit the bathroom and enjoy the rest of the night in comfort.

I could've figured it out without the device, but the tracking made this pattern so much easier to recognize.

Only an idiot would buy something like this. There is no benefit whatsoever to this nonsense of a fantasy market. I mean honestly. What is the point? You can’t sleep? Get a proper diet and exercise regiment.
I just don’t understand the push for this stuff. I truly don’t. I hope I never do. It sounds so pointless and absurd to me.

I have a Beddit and it helped me diagnose a chronic sleep issue, as well as helped me identify the cause. To the OP about exercise…turns out exercise was actually, in part, causing my sleep problems. So was drinking water after 10 PM.

Health trackers are good if you know how to use them. I find Beddit extremely helpful. And believe it or not, grasshopper, you won’t be in your 20’s or 30’s forever. Things change.

 

[IIGS User]

Last thing I need is a gadget telling me why I feel like shiet some mornings.

Probably because my old lady takes up 3/4 of the bed every freakin' night....