Competing rumors differ on if the Apple Ring is dead or about to be born

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware

It's enough to shake your total, unquestioning belief and trust in analysts -- because after one says Apple Ring is completely dead, another says it'll be out in 2026.

Silver smart ring with a logo on the outer surface and two green lights on the inner surface.
Render of a possible Apple Ring



Maybe it's that analysts should phone each other in the morning. Or that they shouldn't get paid for quite so much guesswork.

Previously on Apple Ring... Bloomberg says nope, it's over, the smart ring is never coming. Specifically, the claim is that sure, there are all these rumors and even patents for a smart ring, but Apple will never launch one, because it would cannibalize sales of the Apple Watch.

AppleInsider pointed out that Apple has rather famously done exactly this before when the iPhone entirely and intentionally cannibalized the once-overwhelming hit that was the iPod. And AppleInsider also pointed out that most Apple Ring rumors -- and those patents -- have made it seem like a companion to Apple Watch rather than a competitor.

If it sounds silly to say that Apple Ring could be an accessory to an accessory, there are appreciable health benefits. For instance, an Apple Ring could work alongside an Apple Watch to improve health measurements -- just as the Oura smart ring does today.

Cue CSS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood telling CNBC that an Apple Ring could come out in 2026 as a companion device to an Apple Watch. And that it would fit in with Apple's focus on health.

"Health has become a fundamental pillar for Apple," said Wood. "In fact, I would go so far as to say, at the point that Tim Cook decides to relinquish control and he retires... I would like to think that one of his major legacies from Apple would be around personal health."

"Given how deeply and personally invested Tim Cook is in health," he continued, "I think that a ring is a very complimentary extension to Apple."

Wood specifically called out Samsung's Galaxy Ring and how it fits in with that firm's ecosystem of devices from phones to smart watches. He says, though, that Apple has key advantages over Samsung in this field.

A sleek, silver metallic ring with a smooth finish, featuring a small logo cutout, is placed on a textured dark surface.
A render of a ring with the Apple logo.



"[Apple's] retail footprint is ideally suited to it... because rings are complex products to get to market," he said. "Apple is a brand that has a certain amount of kudos in terms of being a product that people are proud to have."

"And I think a beautifully designed ring from Apple could be one of those things that's almost a sort of status symbol," he continued.

Who's right and who's wrong about the Apple Ring



Overall, Bloomberg claims to have better sources, and with reason as writer Mark Gurman is about as accurate as they come. Plus Bloomberg is certainly better known than CCS Insight, which you just had to Google.

Yet CCS Insight's Ben Wood's argument makes more sense than the claim Apple is sitting on a ring for debatable marketing reasons. Wood doesn't appear to back up his claim of a ring coming in 2026, though.

So there you have it. Apple will release an Apple Ring, or it won't. It's Schrodinger's smart ring, alive and dead at the same time. Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of analysts' "Jeopardy."

Rumor Score: Possible

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    PemaPema Posts: 141member
    It's the ever-lasting conundrum. If and when the messiah ever comes back one can pose the question: 

    Where you here before? if the answer is yes the Christians are right. if the answer is no, then the Jews are right. 

    Same proposition here: 

    will Apple make a smart ring? If Apple ever does make one, then A is right, if the answer in ten years time is still no then B is right. 

     
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 5
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,115member
    At this time, it’s difficult to imagine a tech ring selling appreciably. Not sure what issues it would solve. What’s the killer app? Will the majority of the make populace wear one? 

    The only thing I can think of is if it’s a reliable BP and glucose monitor. But shouldn’t that be coming to the watch, which is a much more viable seller?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 5
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,133member
    At this time, it’s difficult to imagine a tech ring selling appreciably. Not sure what issues it would solve. What’s the killer app? Will the majority of the make populace wear one? 

    The only thing I can think of is if it’s a reliable BP and glucose monitor. But shouldn’t that be coming to the watch, which is a much more viable seller?
    LOTS of people own nice watches that they don't want to replace with a mass market tech device like Apple Watch. Lots of people simply prefer a genuine analog watchface with real hands that move around a dial, not a re-creation of one on a digital display. But these same people ARE interested in the health and fitness tracking that a ring could provide without the need for an Apple Watch. That's the market for a ring and those are the killer apps. And, unlike an Apple watch, an Apple ring doesn't have to replace the ring(s) you already own--the wearing of multiple rings is seen all the time. The wearing of multiple watches would look insane. 
    edited October 8 watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 5
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,368member
    The rest of the market wants validation and until Apple enters the market they don’t have it, it’s like the floppy/folding smart phone.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 5
    Here’s the dirty secret no one is talking about regarding smart rings. The lifespan on their batteries is about 2 years. Ask Oura users what they do when they no longer get all-day usage. I like wearing my Apple Watches beyond 2 years.
    watto_cobra
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