Apple is expected to continue its push into the health and fitness technology market when it releases the iPhone 6 and its new iOS8 operating system.

The company has already sought to make ground in the fitness market, which is estimated to be worth around US$49m (€36.2m, £28.6m), with a planned release of its iWatch, while also partnering its technology with sports brand Nike on Apple's HealthKit platform.

According to reports, it is expected that Apple’s new operating system will feature a dedicated health application, with the technology giant claiming that it will serve as an “easy-to-read dashboard of your health and fitness data”.

The recent release of Apple’s new television advert that solely features health and fitness related apps and technology indicates that the next release of the iPhone could help to push the market further forward, with the introduction of more hardware and software related to health and fitness.

The boom in wearable tech and fitness monitoring has seen a scramble from the world’s largest technology firms, as each of them tries to gain a foothold in the market.

Google put forward its plans earlier this year when it announced a Google Fit platform to retain health and fitness data, along with a smart watch device.

Elsewhere, Adidas could match its partnership with Google Fit with a new wearable piece of kit, while Microsoft is looking to make its own entry with a device that potentially works across all of the main operating systems.

No details have been revealed as to the release date of the iPhone 6, however experts are predicting the product to be available either in the autumn of this year or in early 2015.