With Samsung releasing its smart ring, rumors about Apple developing its own health accessory started to float on the web. In February, ET News said Apple was also readying its own competitor. According to the publication, Cupertino was “steadily applying for patents” as it aimed to grow into the digital healthcare market.
While an industry insider told the publication the Apple smart ring release was “imminent,” it wasn’t true. A few days later, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said the Apple Ring was just an idea, like the Apple Glasses.
Now, in his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple “isn’t actively developing a ring and has no plans to launch one.” The main reason is that this accessory could detract sales from the Apple Watch. With that in mind, Apple has “no reason to cannibalize a product that still has room to grow.”
If Apple releases a smart ring, I’ll be first in line
I’m an avid Apple Watch user. I started with Apple Watch Series 3, but it was only around Series 5 that I started working out daily with it. With my long companion Series 6, I learned how to run properly thanks to Gentler Streak, which, for almost a year now, makes me sleep with the Watch to register my sleep routine and discover if I’m ready for another day of exercise.
With that, I’m always wearing my Apple Watch. That suntan on my wrist doesn’t let me lie. Still, with rumors about an Apple Ring, I could see myself wearing it to improve my sleep metrics and even give myself a break from the Watch.
Sometimes, I just want to wear a regular watch, not receive any notification, but still count my steps or progress on my Activity Rings. With an Apple Ring, I could use this device paired with my iPhone but avoid all that annoyance.
However, Apple might find this use case a way for its consumers to forget about the Watch and focus on this accessory, which would likely be less expensive than a Watch.
Wrap up
Even though the Apple Ring doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon, Apple hasn’t scrapped this idea. BGR will keep following the latest rumors, and we’ll let you know once we learn more about this future accessory.
