Apple smart ring, glasses, camera-equipped AirPods rumored in wearables push

AppleInsider

Apple has been deeply investing into wearables for years, and a report about smart glasses, Apple Ring, and AirPods details what the future might hold.

Oura Smart Ring

Apple already sells a number of wearable devices to consumers, including its Apple Watch range and various models of AirPods. But, much like any other tech company in existence, it believes that it can do more with its products.

In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman asserts that Apple is coming up with ideas for wearable devices it could bring out in the future. Some of which has already been proposed in numerous patent filings over the years.

A big offering could be smart glasses that have been referred to as Apple Glass, which is widely thought to be in Apples' future considering the existence of the Apple Vision Pro. Gurman writes that the glasses could offer smart audio features, as well as some AI-related ones, rather than the expected full augmented reality experience.

A second item is a smart ring, which has been raised repeatedly in rumors and patent filings. According to Gurman, the ring will offer health-tracking functionality, much like an Apple Watch, but without needing to actually wear Apple's larger wearable.

Along with smart glasses, Gurman also raises the possibility of adding a set of cameras to AirPods. This is thought to be more likely to be on the way compared to the other proposed ideas.

Apple has allegedly started a project codenamed B798 in 2023, with the aim of adding low-resolution cameras to the AirPods.

For Apple, the cameras could provide the same sort of effect as attaching cameras to smart glasses, except without the facial furniture. The cameras could feed data into an AI, which can then help the user in everyday life.

Apple naturally has also explored the potential of other sensors inside the AirPpods, including biometric sensors for health tracking.

Gurman doesn't offer a timescale for the potential wearables, but AppleInsider has repeatedly reported on patents in similar fields for years. This at least demonstrates that Apple is thinking about the ideas, if not necessarily guaranteeing their release.

Apple Ring rumors and research go back at least nine years

The patent reporting does illustrate that Apple has pondered the utility of smart rings for a considerable amount of time. One fairly dated possibility is an application that surfaced in October 2015, showing Apple has at least thought about it for close to a decade.

That filing, for "Devices and methods for a ring computing device" basically describes a miniature Apple Watch worn on a finger. While miniature in size, the device is still shown with a miniature touch-enabled display, as well as many elements that feature in the Apple Watch itself.

Indeed, Apple was keen enough on the idea of a miniature Apple Watch on a finger that it made a continuation filing that was granted in 2019 on the same idea.

An Apple smart ring concept from a patent application in 2015 [USPTO]

The list of capabilities proposed in the 2015 filing includes heart rate monitoring, and inductive charging, Force Touch, the Taptic Engine for haptic feedback, and an accelerometer and gyroscope for gesture input. These latter two also proposed the possibility of handwriting recognition.

Back at this time, the use of voice control was also proposed, as well as communications over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC, among other elements. There was also a lot of discussion about using the ring to control other hardware.

The filing certainly wasn't the earliest reference to an Apple Ring, with concepts surfacing in 2007 and murmurs from an Apple supplier tour in 2013 predating the patent filing. But the application does at least give concrete proof that Apple did explore the concept.

Rumor Score: Possible

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pulseimages

“ One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.”

phobos7

I’d buy an Apple Ring.

m68000

And i would just be happy if they would still sell new ipod’s. Lol.  Hope to get many years out of my ipod nano,  such a great little device.

9secondkox2

Meh. 

Wouldn’t be surprised anymore. 

The glasses is the only one that would be something apple should do. 

pulseimages

M68000 said:

And i would just be happy if they would still sell new ipod’s. Lol.  Hope to get many years out of my ipod nano,  such a great little device.

I love my iPod Shuffle.

xed

I could see Apple coming out with several wearable devices at once in about 5 years.

eriamjh

pulseimages said:

“ One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.”

“Your 1Ring is at 10%.  Please recharge as soon as you are able.”

Binds them to their charger.   

discountopinion

I have no doubt that Apple explores all sorts of concepts and files patents. Some of it may be PsyOps against the competition to occlude their real intent.

Apple Ring - feels meh if already having a watch.  A better product would be a scaled down Apple Watch that can tell time, health features, cellular, gps and satellite comms with personal attack alarm. Many schools are banning smart phones and smart watches regardless of the software modes for use in school.. a visibly scaled down version would be great for kids.

A ring would be a pain in the neck to scale to mass volumes since there will be a wide range of finger sizes. Customer variance in size is low cost to manage when having the variance in a rubber loop on the iPhone. I do not see it for a ring unless reaching massive scale.

Apple smart glasses? Not yet. Need massive uplift of Apples AI chops first.

AirPods with cameras? Feels like a massive distraction instead of doubling down on the market segment of assisted hearing. 

jsnively

eriamjh said:

pulseimages said:

“ One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.”

“Your 1Ring is at 10%.  Please recharge as soon as you are able.”

Binds them to their charger.   

Keep the patents secret, keep the patents safe

cg27

discountopinion said:

I have no doubt that Apple explores all sorts of concepts and files patents. Some of it may be PsyOps against the competition to occlude their real intent.

Apple Ring - feels meh if already having a watch.  A better product would be a scaled down Apple Watch that can tell time, health features, cellular, gps and satellite comms with personal attack alarm. Many schools are banning smart phones and smart watches regardless of the software modes for use in school.. a visibly scaled down version would be great for kids.

A ring would be a pain in the neck to scale to mass volumes since there will be a wide range of finger sizes. Customer variance in size is low cost to manage when having the variance in a rubber loop on the iPhone. I do not see it for a ring unless reaching massive scale.

Apple smart glasses? Not yet. Need massive uplift of Apples AI chops first.

AirPods with cameras? Feels like a massive distraction instead of doubling down on the market segment of assisted hearing. 

Agree on all counts, especially re assisted hearing.  With over the counter hearing aids now permissible in the U.S. Apple should revolutionize and dominate this growing market.  It would be life changing for millions, and the goodwill generated would be tremendous.

multimedia

Just gave up on waiting for an Apple Ring and bought a RingConn.  Does a great job of measuring the details of my sleep patterns. Can leave in Airplane mode 95% of the time. Just turn on the Bluetooth once a day and the overnight results are collected by the subscription free connected to the Health app app. Love it.

i would switch to an Apple Ring as long as it too will have no subscription model that does as much as or more than what the RingConn does. Gold Size 10.

I wear an aluminum Gold Apple Watch Series 6 but I leave it powered off between exercises (mostly bike rides). Run Strava and the Adidas Running app in parallel to the watch exercise app and wrap it up with my PaceLine Rewards app. The RingConn is only good for measuring walking and running. No good for cycling.

edited February 2024

entropys

The AirPod cameras will be for monitoring your earwax.

or more seriously, it would be for biometrics.

Otherwise, imagine someone going about their day with cameras recording everyone else they come across! I don’t think that would go down well, but then again I am not in the tiktoc generation.

massiveattack87

Ring? Do I have to take it off before washing my hands with a soap? If yes, it would be uncomfortable. It would not bring added values in terms of the user friendly and comfort. 
What if I forget to take it off? Is the ring defect?

Are men willing to wear a wedding ring + Apple ring? Two rings? Isn´t it too much for men?

Even Apple recommends not to touch the apple watch with water. 

Smart glass: A stylish glass is needed. Is the technology mature sooner or later? I want to have a bad ass design or collaboration with Jacques Marie Mage or Lindberg. 

But those technologies seem to be just "Trial and Error" at the moment - Not mature enough.

If I look at those rumors, I have the feeling that Apple feels so under pressure to do some innovative "things" as all tech companies already have their AI momentum (AAPL not). 

mariner8

An Apple ring operating like a mouse could be very handy in general and a g*dsend for numerous people with large motor control problems.  Fine motor control, like rubbing your thumb against one of your fingers (try it) can be easier in some circumstances.  I had a good friend who used to operate her wheelchair with tiny movements in one thumb.  

If I the ring would have a number of the biometric features that are on the Apple Watch plus an emergency (911) alert and locator, I’d be looking at that instead of a watch. 

beowulfschmidt

I don't really need any of these items right now, though I might in the future.  What I would really like is AirPods Pro that actually stay in my ears for more than a few minutes.