Apple Moves Into the Brain Implant Business

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has begun to test brain implants for people with disabilities. An exclusive article in The Wall Street Journal reports, “Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices.” Initially, the focus is on people with spinal cord damage or conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is fatal.

If Apple makes enough progress, healthy people could receive the brain implant. Keyboards and mice will not be necessary to control computers. Smartphones operate similarly. Apple would probably launch the product as software only available to people who buy Apple hardware, which means it will run as a feature of iOS.

The Wall Street Journal adds, “Apple has worked on the new standard with Synchron, which makes a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein atop the brain’s motor cortex.” It allows communication of brain waves to hardware devices. Elon Musk has a similar product created by a company called Neuralink. Neuralink recently raised $200 million, which put its valuation at $8.5 billion. Musk says that millions of people will use it within 10 years. The technology is in very early stages and has only been tested on a few people.

Apple is working to find products that will take it beyond the revenue from the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It has a healthy “services” business, but it is not large enough to offset weakening iPhone sales.

One aspect of the revolution of technology may affect every software creation in the future. What role artificial intelligence will play in brain implants is too early to tell. If the promise of AI is matched by wild success of the products it helps create, the Apple and Musk endeavors may be more useful than most people can imagine.

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