Launching a smart ring would take away attention from the Apple Watch.
After Samsung released its smart ring earlier this year, rumors about Apple working on a smart ring started surfing online.
Despite years of rumors and multiple patents for a smart Apple Ring, a new report surfaced online indicating that Apple has no plans to release a smart ring and might never make one.
No Apple Smart Ring, says popular Apple insider
Apple has been exploring smart rings for two decades (or so it has been reported), but we’ll have to wait much longer if and when the company releases one. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his Power On newsletter, says that the Apple Ring might be just an idea, and the company might never make one.
The reason why Apple may never make a smart ring is less technical and more practical marketing. Apple isn’t actively creating a ring and has no plans to release one because it would take away attention from the Apple Watch.
As a result, Apple sees no reason to cannibalize a product that still has the capacity for expansion and is the envy of the fitness-tracking industry. Apple is known for cannibalizing its own devices.
The most notable example is how it completely killed its own iPod with the iPhone.
Some early speculations about the Apple Ring suggested that it could work alongside the Apple Watch. Wearing both the Apple Ring and the Apple Watch together, for example, may improve the accuracy of heart rate measurements.
As a result, the Apple Ring has long been projected to complement rather than replace the existing Apple ecosystem.
However, according to the new report, the project may never have gone beyond internal testing and prototyping. This announcement is sure to disappoint buyers who were looking for a more streamlined wearable alternative from Apple.
However, it highlights the company’s commitment to the Apple Watch as its main wearable device.