Samsung and Oura can rest assured: Apple is not developing a smart ring
2024 may have ushered in the new Samsung Galaxy Ring and the highly anticipated Oura Ring 4, but a new report reveals that tech giant Apple has no plans to join the fellowship anytime soon.
Patents and rumors about an Apple Ring have been circulating for years, and the popularity of other discreet fitness trackers on the market makes the industry an attractive proposition.
However, top Apple insider Mark Gurman says Apple isn’t currently working on it, and has no plans to start anytime soon.
Writing in the paywalled email version of him Turn on In this week’s newsletter, Gurman revealed that “Apple is not actively developing a Ring and has no plans to launch one.”
But why would Apple pass up the opportunity to bring an innovative new product to market in an emerging market? There’s one simple reason: Apple Watch.
Apple is keeping an eye on fitness for the time being…
As Gurman notes, introducing an Apple Ring would “detract from the Apple Watch.” He reveals that Apple has “no reason to cannibalize a product that still has room to grow and is the envy of the fitness tracking industry.”
While both Samsung’s Galaxy Ring and the new Oura Ring 4 are impressive pieces, they currently don’t offer much more than Apple Watch. Both types of devices have largely similar fitness and health features, such as exercise tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and more.
While a bezel may be a more discreet item than the best smartwatches on the market, it’s an added bonus for most people who are likely already wearing a watch of some description.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring 4 also both cost about the same as an Apple Watch Series 10, but the latter offers a more immersive experience thanks to its touchscreen display and features like music playback, calling and messaging, and more.
It’s possible that smart rings and other more discreet devices will one day surpass the smartwatch as the king of fitness tracking and wearable tech, but for now it doesn’t seem like Apple has any intention of disrupting its growing smartwatch business.