Gurman: Apple has explored ‘Instacart-like service’ with Health app integration

Apple is growing its Services segment. Apple’s Services category currently comprises Apple TV+ and Apple Pay. However, the company stated that they have bigger plans for the future.

A new repot today from Bloomberg indicates that Apple has “explored” expanding its portfolio an “Instacart-like” service that integrates with the Apple Health app…

Apple Instacart-like service?

In response to a reader question about what new Apple services could be coming in the future, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says in his Power On newsletter that the company is focusing on two primary things right now: an iPhone hardware subscription and a “buy now, pay later” financing feature for Apple Pay.

Both of those services have been previously reported and could launch as soon as this year. Both of these services have been previously reported and could launch as soon as this year.

Beyond those financial services features, however, Bloomberg now reports that Apple has “explored” the possibility of launching an Instacart-like service as well. Instacart, for those unfamiliar, is a service that offers grocery delivery and pickup services. Instacart allows you to place orders at a number of retailers, have them delivered right away, and pick up your orders in-store.

Instacart is one of the many so-called “gig economy” platforms that has launched in the last decade, similar to things like Uber, Uber Eats, Lyft, and DoorDash. These types of services, however, are notoriously unprofitable and low-margin, which could be a factor in Apple’s decision making.

Integration with Apple Health for more nutrition tracking would be the defining feature of an Apple-developed Instacart service. Gurman reports:

There are several new Apple services currently in development. The next two we should see: the iPhone hardware subscription program and “buy now, pay later” for Apple Pay transactions. The company has also explored some Instacart-like service that integrates with nutrition data in the Health app. That’s probably a doozy to pull off and sounds fairly low-margin. Also, I hope for bigger TV+ upgrades.

Gurman’s reporting makes it sound unlikely that Apple ultimately launches any sort of Instacart-like service, but it’s interesting regardless to know that it’s something the company has explored. It shows the breadth of Apple’s interest in growing its Services segment.

Sunday’s report also says that we can expect Apple Fitness+ to expand with a “bunch of new workout types” with iOS 16 this year, an expansion that “seems well-timed given the woes of Peloton.”