Apple has considered developing several new wearable devices over the years, including a smart ring for health and fitness, smart glasses, and upgraded AirPods with built-in cameras and more sensors, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Below, we recap what Gurman shared about these devices in his Power On newsletter today.
Smart Ring
A few years ago, Apple's industrial design team presented the idea of a "smart ring" focused on health and fitness features to executives on the company's health team, according to Gurman. However, he said Apple is not actively developing the finger-worn device at this time, so it is unclear if it will ever be released.
Gurman said the ring could be a lower-cost alternative to the Apple Watch that could sync health and fitness data with a paired iPhone. It would compete with products like the Oura Ring and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Ring.
Smart Glasses
It has long been rumored that Apple eventually hopes to release advanced AR glasses based on its Vision Pro headset. In the meantime, Gurman said the company has considered developing a "less ambitious" pair of smart glasses that would compete with the likes of Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and Amazon's Echo Frames.
Apple has discussed creating glasses that would serve as an "AirPods replacement," with built-in speakers, cameras, health sensors, and AI capabilities, according to Gurman. The glasses are in a "technology investigation" stage within Apple's hardware engineering division, he said, so it sounds like a release is still far off.
AirPods With Cameras
Apple engineers last year started exploring how to fit low-resolution camera sensors into AirPods, according to Gurman. If ever released, he believes these AirPods could offer AI features that "assist people in their daily routines."
