In what is really an uncharacteristic change of roles, it looks likes Google is taking a page out of Apple’s playbook. According to Forbes, at Google’s upcoming I/O conference, the company will unveil a new health service:

Google is planning to launch a new health service called Google Fit to collect and aggregate data from popular fitness trackers and health-related apps, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s plans. It will launch the service at the Google I/O conference for developers, being held on June 25 and 26.¹

Sound familiar? Well that is essentially the same functionality as Apple’s new HealthKit. Here is what we wrote last week about HealthKit:

HealthKit acts a central hub/repository where third-party apps can store data in one central location. The idea being that the central location for all this health related data will offer quick and easy access to all information.

Though we have reason to believe that Apple will be releasing some sort of health/fitness wearable this year, Google has a slight edge in this category. This advantage plays directly into Google’s plans for Google Fit. The Forbes article notes as much:

One source with knowledge of Google’s plans said Google Fit would allow a wearable device that measures data like steps or heart rate to interface with Google’s cloud-based services, and become part of the Google Fit ecosystem.²

Further, Google’s venture into the wearable OS market gives the company a clear advantage when tying in health trackers. Not to be outdone, however, Apple noted at WWDC last week that “HealthKit would be a framework that wearables and health apps could use to send data to a separate Apple app called Health. Users would be able to store data including steps, sleep and heart rate in the Health app, along with their medical history. Third-party apps could then ask for access to Health, as they already do for apps like Contacts or Photos.”³ It will be interesting to watch the health battle play out, but as it stands right now, Google has a clear advantage. We should know more by the end of Google I/O