Oura warns Apple 'smart rings are hard to do right'

Recent patent filings tell us Apple is definitely exploring the possibility of releasing a health-tracking smart ring.

However, the boss of current market pioneer Oura seems confident Apple won’t pull the trigger. Why? Well, because making a great smart ring is bloody hard to do and Apple has bigger wearables to worry about.

Oura has seen Samsung enter the fray as its most high profile rival, but Samsung’s first generation product appears to be less accomplished than the fourth generation Oura model the company launched this autumn.

However, given Apple’s loyalty among the iPhone user base and ability to add unique experiences to an established category, there may be more reason for concern among the ranks at the smart ring maker.

Nonetheless, in an interview with CNBC (via 9to5Mac) Tom Hale brushed aside concerns that the world’s most accomplished consumer technology hardware company may begin to invade its finger-centric territory.

He intimated that a well-executed smart ring might be too much hassle for Apple’s crack team of hardware engineers to bother with, especially with the Apple Watch still doing great business for the company.

Hale said: “I think they [Apple] are unconvinced about the value of having a ring and a watch together and they’re not interested in undercutting the Apple Watch as a business. I think they’re probably keeping a close eye on Samsung and a close eye on us, but it’s hard to do this product category right.”

Beyond the two excellent points Hale makes in his comments, Apple may choose to bring more health tracking features to an existing wearable – the AirPods Pro. Reporting and patent filings suggest this is a legitimate avenue for Apple to explore.

Would it be worth Apple’s while?

I agree with Tom Hale. The potential rewards for Apple seem limited when the Apple Watch is still dominating the category. It’s unlikely anyone will want or need both an Apple Ring or an Apple Watch, so the company would be pitching exclusively to those who don’t have the smartwatch. When you add in the costs and manpower involved in developing this product and ‘doing it right’ it might not be worth Apple’s while – especially if the focus is to bring more health related features to AirPods Pro.