Apple Ring: rounding up the rumors

A render of a hoop with the Apple brand.

Apple’s wearable in its product catalog is the Apple Watch, and it has helped it capitalize within the smartwatch market. However there’s all the time a bunch of consumers who would relatively put on one thing else as an alternative of a watch.

The seeming reply to that could be a sensible ring, and Apple’s not the one one seemingly within the subject. The Oura ring has been round for years, providing organic monitoring whereas being worn round a finger.

Chief electronics rival Samsung can also be making ready its personal providing within the subject. The Galaxy Ring is anticipated to launch later in 2024. Within the face of potential competitors out there, there may very well be elevated stress on Apple to maneuver in with its personal providing.

With that prospect on the horizon, that is what the rumor mill has declared in regards to the Apple Ring over time.

One of many earliest examples of the rumor mill at motion goes again to 2007, when Yanko Design printed an idea picture designed by Victor Soto. Known as the iRing, the concept consisted of a white or black ring with a blue glowing Apple brand.

A 2007 iRing idea [Yanko Design/Victor Soto]

The idea was that the iRing would work with an iPhone or iPod, offering management of playback and quantity management by way of a touch-sensitive operate strip.

The ring could be used with a loop-shaped cradle for recharging, and would theoretically have a battery lifetime of as much as two days.

Clearly, the know-how of the time made it arduous to think about the idea as an actual, tangible product. However, as know-how miniaturizes, the prospect of it will definitely turning into a actuality has grown.

An interpretation of the idea by analysts occurred in 2013, due to a analysis observe from Topeka Capital Markets. The observe was extra about an Apple-produced tv, however a hoop turned an integral a part of it.

On the time, it was defined that the “iRing” would act as a navigation pointer for the tv. Movement detection was mentioned to switch some typical distant management features.

Whereas a tv did not come to move, we do have Apple TV, albeit with no ring controller. And a display screen.

One of many oddities of the Apple Ring rumors is that there is proof Apple has at the least thought of the idea. Whereas it might not have really produced the {hardware}, engineers at Apple have put some thought into the likelihood.

The proof of this stems from patents and patent purposes, which has seen Apple give you many various ideas for the machine.

An instance of an Apple Ring patent picture

There’s even been the proposal that an “expandable ring machine” may very well be worn in many various methods, together with as a part of a necklace or a bracelet.

One of many extra outlandish claims that circulated in 2022 insisted Apple developed a paired wedding ceremony ring set. The concept could be that every person would know the place the opposite one was always.

Moreover, they’d additionally know if their accomplice eliminated the ring, which may very well be thought of a step in the direction of being untrue.

The issue with the rumor is that some individuals are simply able to believing it to be true. The identical form of abuse speculated about within the viral social media put up was already doable, and did not want a hoop.

There have already been many tales involving AirTags getting used for monitoring functions by stalkers. To not point out the various different trackers and monitoring strategies out there in the marketplace for the aim.

After all, a sensible ring from Apple might doubtlessly be used for unhealthy functions. Virtually something might given the motivation or the reasoning.

However, just like the anti-stalking measures, it will be anticipated that Apple would attempt to preserve person privateness, and work to implement comparable instruments in a sensible ring. That’s, if it enabled stalking habits not directly.

After Samsung’s early 2024 Unpacked occasion, which concerned a tease of its Galaxy Ring, a report shortly surfaced claiming it was nonetheless a risk for Apple.

“Apple has constantly launched sensible ring-related patents for a number of years, so superior growth for commercialization seems to be imminent,” alleged insiders instructed an ETNews report.

Apple was reportedly contemplating a launch date for the machine, although the report stopped in need of saying when and the way it will launch.

This considerably tracks, given ETNews does not essentially have the most effective observe file in relation to predicting future Apple merchandise.

The Apple Ring is an uncommon rumored merchandise that Apple is seemingly producing. There definitely is proof, by way of patent filings, that it has been a consideration for the corporate, and for fairly a while.

Nevertheless, it is also an merchandise that, regardless of the proof, does not have any actual concrete rumors saying will probably be popping out quickly, or inside years.

It additionally is not constantly raised by the rumor mill both. Most tales that AppleInsider has lined in regards to the Apple Ring has been about patent grants and purposes, relatively than hypothesis or analyst claims.

With the sheer variety of patents involving rings, and the potential of a nascent market, it is a risk. However, for these 17 years, it is a idea that is all the time been rumored to be about three or 4 years away.

We won’t shut the circle on the Apple Ring at the moment. However neither can we low cost it as one thing that will not ever occur.