Apple's AI Health Coach Project 'Mulberry' Suspended Amid Strategic Shift

Why Was Apple's Major Health Initiative, Project Mulberry, Paused?

Technology giant Apple has reportedly suspended its secretive 'Mulberry' project, which aimed to create an AI-based personal health coach. According to Bloomberg, citing reliable sources, this decision is rooted in the company's recently adopted operational approach and changes in its management structure. The project was designed to develop a sophisticated health assistant that would analyze users' lifestyle data to provide personalized recommendations on nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

New Management Philosophy: Fast Results and Tangible Output

As highlighted in the report, recent changes in Apple's senior management have also influenced the company's project evaluation criteria. The new management structure tends to prioritize projects that can be brought to market more quickly and carry concrete revenue/return potential. Projects like Mulberry, which require lengthy research and development cycles and have uncertain timelines for becoming final products, have been pushed to the background under this new focus. This situation is interpreted as Apple accelerating its short-term, consumer-facing features within its overall AI strategy.

Apple Intelligence and Competitive Pressure

The suspension of the project coincides with Apple's efforts to expand its AI ecosystem, dubbed 'Apple Intelligence.' Not wanting to fall behind the AI features rapidly launched by competitors, the company may be choosing to channel its resources into more visible and quickly integrable projects. The health sector is one where Apple has long made significant investments through wearable devices and the Apple Watch. While pausing the Mulberry project does not mean the company is abandoning its health strategy, it signals a shift in its near-term focus areas.

Implications for Apple's Health Ambitions

This development raises questions about the timeline for Apple's ambitious health technology initiatives. The company has consistently positioned health as a core vertical, integrating features like ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, and fitness tracking into its devices. The Mulberry project represented a more proactive, AI-driven advisory layer. Its suspension suggests a tactical recalibration toward enhancing existing, revenue-generating hardware and software ecosystems with incremental AI improvements, rather than pioneering entirely new, long-gestation service categories in the immediate future.