An Apple smart ring is reportedly back in the pipeline – should Oura be worried? Probably not
Screen-free wearables are gaining in popularity. Could an Apple Ring join them to battle Oura, Ultrahuman and Whoop?
Apple is once again being tipped to expand it’s health tracking wearables and build a smart ring to rival the Oura Ring series and Samsung Galaxy Ring.
An Apple Ring has been rumoured to be in the works for years, but it’s been quiet on that front more recently. I’ve believed the company had cooled on the idea at least two years ago. However, a leaker now claims the product is under development in Cupertino.
The leaker, who posts on X under the name Kosutami, isn’t known to us so I’m very much taking the information with a pinch of salt. And, if they were on the money, I’d bet money on Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman knowing and telling everyone about it before this geezer.
However, there various indications that Apple is getting more serious about health wearables. The latest version of the Apple AirPods Pro, for instance, have a heart rate sensor for activity tracking. An Apple Ring might be a good way for the company to reach more health conscious/curious iPhone owners who don’t want to wear another screen on their person by offering more useful and comprehensive data points.
The likes of Oura, Ultrahuman and Whoop (and most recently Google with the Fitbit Air) have enjoyed success with the display-free approach that feeds information back to a companion app and doesn’t mither people with notifications from phones.
Apple is also rumoured to have been developing an AI Health Coach, which has reportedly been shelved for the time being, but a device like a smart ring that can collate deep metrics indicating things like sleep and stress would certainly benefit such an endeavour.
Another thing to consider, as 9to5Mac points out, is that Eddy Cue is in charge of the Health team at Apple. Cue is a well-known advocate of Apple pushing further with its health products, so it’s possible that a previously sidelined smart ring is now back in the development pipeline.
Chris Smith
