Apple has been rumored to have been researching smart rings for two decades, but now it looks like we may never get one. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the issue is less technical and more of a marketing decision.
“Apple is not actively developing a Ring and has no plans to launch one.” writes Mark Gurman in the subscriber-only section of his Power On newsletter.
The reason? This would “harm the Apple Watch.” says Gurman adding “Apple has no reason to compete with a product that still has room to grow and is the envy of the fitness industry.”
However, Apple has a reputation for outperforming its own products, or “killing your darlings” if you prefer. The most famous example is how they completely wiped out the iPod along with the iPhone. Before that, they unceremoniously canceled the very popular iPod mini when the iPod nano was launched.
If Gurman is right, that means 2024 will be the year another high-profile product development gets canceled, without Apple actually announcing it.
In February 2024, it was reported that the ten-year-old Apple Car project had been canceled. It should be noted, however, that Apple has never confirmed the existence of a ring or car project.
For now, you’ll have to settle for something like the Apple Watch Series 10 or get an Oura Ring 4.
This article was originally published in our sister publication Macworld Sweden and was translated and adapted from Swedish.
