Sorry, there's no way Apple is canceling its rumored smart ring plans

3 weeks ago 7

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Appel has never spoken of a smart ring or even hinted at the impending existence of one, but if the latest rumors are to be believed, the illusory product is now nothing more than a pipe dream as Apple may have canceled the whole project. If true, it's a mistake.

You only need to wear a smart ring for a few weeks to understand its appeal. Wearables like the Oura Ring and Samsung Galaxy Ring are small, attractive, sleep-friendly, and offer enviable battery life. I started wearing an Oura Ring 3 some months ago, and it's the only technology that I wear 24/7 for days on end (until it needs a charge).

Smart rings offer most of the benefits of smartwatches like the Apple Watch. They track activity, exercise, sleep, blood oxygenation, heart rate, wellness, and more. The lack of a screen, microphones, speakers, and haptic vibrations lowers the distraction level to virtually zero.

It's easy for me to forget I'm wearing the Oura, though I do tend to worry the ring around my finger, endlessly spinning it with my thumb. When I do this, I need to remember to return the ring's indent to the palm side of my hand so that the inside ring sensors are in their best position to track my vitals.

The new Oura Ring 4 is apparently even better prepared for wearers like me who can't stop spinning their rings; the sensors are now spread all around the inner ring.

Still not a smartwatch

Smart Rings aren't perfect. In my case, I can't do certain exercises with them; anything that presses the ring against my finger, like pull-ups, causes pain, so I remove the ring for those routines. That's never been an issue with the Apple Watch.

The low profile and lack of screen and on-device alerts mean I often have no idea what the Oura Ring is tracking. I have to remind myself to check out the Oura app. I don't mind, really, because I also allowed my iPhone's Health App to capture all of my Oura data, so I'm fairly confident that nothing's been missed.

Bloomberg's report claims that Apple is canceling its ring project because it doesn't want to cannibalize the still-growing Apple Watch market. I don't get that. If what I've found can be broadly applied to the wearable market, then there are many people who do not want to wear a smartwatch and screen on their wrist and would appreciate a smart ring from Apple.

I'm not even sure this rumor makes business sense. Over the years, Apple has worked across its categories to fill in the blanks. Don't like a single iPhone option? How about a Pro model or a giant Plus one? EarPods, not your style? Check out these AirPods. Need more noise control? Check out these AirPods Pros. Prefer tablets over smartphones and computers? Here's an iPad. Prefer something small? How about an iPad Mini (version 7 might be coming soon).

Even in the wearable space, Apple has shown a propensity for expanding choices.

This doesn't make sense

Apple is also willing to take big swings. Just look at the Vision Pro. Sure, it's way too expensive and a niche product that's being pitched as the mixed reality experience for everyone. My point, though, is Apple is not timid and has shown little concern about category cannibalization.

If, though, Apple has truly killed the rumored Apple Ring project, it's made a mistake. I guarantee people want an Apple Ring and would love to use it to enable gestures that allow it to control everything from the Vision Pro to their Mac, iPads, and AirPods (tap your thumb and ring finger to pause and play).

Apple fans will gladly pay a premium for Apple's own very Applely take on a smart ring. I'm sure it'll be titanium (for the high-end) and aluminum for everyone else. It'll come in Pro and basic versions, with the basic offering custom skins (or etchings) that you can order printed on the ring before it arrives. Most will pay extra for the Pro because it'll be the one with the gesture control.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that Bloomberg is just plain wrong. There's no way Apple is walking away from this section of the wearable market. An Apple Ring will arrive – maybe as soon as next year. If you believe it, you better put a ring on it.

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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

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