Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, told colleagues Apple must “move faster and be more competitive” after declaring the company’s ambitious AI health coach unworthy of rivals like Oura and Whoop. Project Mulberry—once pitched as Apple’s “greatest contribution to health care”—got axed in recent weeks, marking a rare admission that Cupertino fell behind in its own ecosystem.
From Grand Vision to Corporate Reality Check
Apple’s comprehensive Health+ service becomes piecemeal app updates instead.
The scrapped project promised personalized health reports combining Apple Watch data, user surveys, and lab results with AI-powered recommendations. An Oakland content studio was already producing educational videos while engineers worked on iPhone camera gait analysis. Instead of launching this spring as planned, these features will now trickle into the free Health app throughout 2026—no subscription required, but no cohesive experience either.
Leadership Shakeup Reshapes Health Strategy
Jeff Williams’ retirement hands Eddy Cue control over Apple’s wellness ambitions.
The pivot follows major organizational changes after longtime health chief Jeff Williams retired at year-end. Cue, now overseeing both health and fitness teams, immediately questioned Project Mulberry’s viability against competitors whose iPhone apps already deliver superior user experiences. Health lead Sumbul Desai, who once treated this as Apple’s top priority, now reports to Cue while juggling additional Fitness+ responsibilities.
Competition Exposes Apple’s Rare Weakness
Oura and Whoop’s iPhone integration made Apple’s approach look clunky by comparison.
Your Apple Watch collects incredible health data, but companies like Oura have built more compelling ways to interpret and act on similar information. Their iPhone apps offer personalized insights and recommendations that make Apple’s Health app feel like a glorified data warehouse. When Cue evaluated the competitive landscape, Apple’s comprehensive coach looked less innovative than redundant.
This strategic retreat mirrors Netflix abandoning DVDs-by-mail—sometimes stepping back enables better leaps forward. You’ll likely benefit from faster, more practical updates rather than waiting for Apple’s perfect solution that might never arrive.
