Samsung and Oura can rest easy – Apple isn't developing a smart ring

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Apple currently isn't making a smart ring for one simple reason

Oura Ring 4 in silver
(Image credit: Future/Matt Evans)

2024 might have heralded the new Samsung Galaxy Ring and the long-awaited Oura Ring 4, but a new report says that tech giant Apple isn't planning to join the fellowship anytime soon.

Patents and rumors of an Apple Ring have been swirling for years and the popularity of other discrete fitness trackers on the market makes the industry an enticing proposition.

However, top Apple insider Mark Gurman says that Apple isn't working on one right now, and doesn't have plans to start anytime soon.

Writing in the paywalled email version of his Power On newsletter this week, Gurman revealed that "Apple isn’t actively developing a ring and has no plans to launch one."

But why would Apple pass on the chance to release an innovative new product in an emerging market? There's one simple reason – Apple Watch.

Apple is keeping fitness on the wrist, for now...

Apple Watch SEries 10 activity monitor

(Image credit: Future)

As Gurman notes, introducing an Apple Ring "would detract from the Apple Watch." He reveals that Apple has "no reason to cannibalize a product that still has room to grow and is the envy of the fitness-tracking industry."

While both Samsung's Galaxy Ring and the new Oura Ring 4 are impressive bits of kit, there's not a ton they offer over Apple Watch right now. Both types of device feature broadly similar fitness and health features such as exercise tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and more.

While a ring might be a more discrete bit of kit than the best smartwatches on the market, it's an extra for most people who likely already wear a watch of some description.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring and the Oura Ring 4 also both cost broadly the same as an Apple Watch Series 10, but the latter delivers a more immersive experience thanks to its touchscreen display and features like music playback, calls and messages, and more.

It's possible that smart rings and other more discrete devices could one day surpass the smartwatch as the king of fitness tracking and wearable tech, but right now it seems Apple doesn't have any intention of upsetting its growing smartwatch business.

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Stephen Warwick
Stephen Warwick
Fitness & Wearables writer

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music.