Apple is developing a watch that will combine features of tech accessories and fitness wearables.

The fitness wearables market is growing steadily more competitive. Fitbit, owned by Alphabet, offers wearables that track activity, body temperature, and more. Garmin and Casio currently offer rugged smart watches. Facebook is working on a smartwatch that will track biometrics.

Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart calculated that total Apple Watch sales surpassed 100 million in December. The original watch was released in 2015. 

• Apple’s current models monitor heart rate, electrocardiogram signals (electric signals from the heart), blood oxygen levels, and movement activity.
• New iterations of its signature wearable, planned for 2022, will track body temperature and have improved swim tracking. 
• The company is developing non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology, but that is believed to be a few years away.

Apple also plans to release a more rugged version of the watch in 2022 that will be able to handle more impact than the current version. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook made the bold claim in February that Apple’s greatest contribution will eventually be in health and wellness.

As of March 27, Apple held $337.2 billion in total assets including $38.5 billion in cash or cash equivalents. Its wearables, home, and accessories category brought in $20.8 billion during the prior six months.

Z Capital Partners’ Affinity Gaming and Sports Information Group will merge in the coming weeks. The new entity will be called Affinity Interactive, an omnichannel digital, gaming, and media company worth $1.3 billion, including debt.

SIG, the owner of Daily Racing Form, will bolster its online betting specialization with Affinity Gaming, which operates eight regional casinos.

The merger is the latest combination of online betting platforms and in-house operators in the last year.

• Caesars Entertainment acquired online betting company William Hill for roughly $4 billion.
• Bally’s announced plans to acquire online gaming provider Gamesys Group in a deal worth $2.8 billion after acquiring Monkey Knife Fight, SportCaller, and Bet.Works.

Z Capital purchased the remaining 59% of Affinity Gaming in 2017, valuing Affinity at $580 million. It had already owned a 41% stake. The same year, it acquired 127-year-old SIG for less than $100 million.

Gaming & Hospitality Acquisition Corp. — a SPAC that raised $200 million in an IPO in February when it announced plans to merge with Affinity Gaming and another entity— will now merge with the combined company.

Facebook’s virtual reality division, Oculus Studios, has acquired BigBox VR, a VC-backed startup that creates online virtual reality video games.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Facebook purchased Oculus for $2 billion in 2014, providing the tech conglomerate with access to the $1 trillion consumer electronics market. 

Prior to Facebook’s acquisition, BigBox raised $6.5 million in funding over three rounds with contributions from Shasta Ventures, Outpost Capital, Pioneer Square Labs, and GSR Ventures.

Founded in 2016 by former Disney executive producers Chia Chin Lee and Gabe Brown, the Seattle-based development studio is the creator of hit VR titles “Smashbox Arena” and “Population: One.”

Facebook continues to benefit from the growth of VR gaming and its Oculus products.

• Over 60 games and apps on the Oculus have made more than $1 million in revenue.
• Six Oculus titles have generated more than $10 million in revenue, including “Population: One.” 
• Facebook has sold more than $100 million worth of Quest content. 
• The Quest 2 ($299) has outsold all of Oculus’ previous devices combined, with analysts estimating upwards of 5 million units sold since October. 

Facebook generated $26.17 billion in revenue for Q1 2021, a 48% increase year-over-year. 

Non-ad revenue for the company reached $732 million in Q1, a 146% increase from the same period a year prior.