Why Oura Is Convinced Apple Will Never Release A Smart Ring

Oura, one of the leaders in the growing smart ring arena, claims that Apple doesn't have what it takes to make an Apple smart ring. It believes that Apple doesn't want a ring to undercut what the Apple Watch already does so well. Well, those are some fighting words, indeed. Presently, Apple has scrapped its plans for a smart ring, but with goading from the likes of Oura, we may see Apple change its tune on the matter.

In an interview with on CNBC recently, Tom Hale, Oura's CEO, said that he believes Apple will not start selling a smart ring anytime soon. Hale told the news agency that, “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." He added that Apple is "probably keeping a close eye on Samsung and a close eye on us, but it’s hard to do this product category right.”

While it's too soon (and careless) to count Apple out of the game, there IS some credence to Hale's statement regarding a smart ring undercutting the Apple Watch business. There are two facts to consider: firstly, over the years the Apple Watch has grown more capable as a reliable health tracker and monitoring service, so having another Apple device that challenges the bigger money-making juggernaut might not make sense right now.

Secondly, current smart ring makers like Oura, RingConn, Samsung, Amazfit, and Ultrahuman already offer great products that, between them, vary very little in features. Apple being Apple will likely want its smart ring to really stand out, but that's hard to do with a device that's essentially a pure sensor with no display(s) or functions.

Hale's comments come shortly after Apple seemingly announced it's dropping out of the smart ring race. Of course, this could change quickly (or could merely be smoke and mirrors on Apple's part), since we know that for nearly a decade now, Apple has poured plenty of resources into smart ring development. Cupertino is fantastic at creating synergizing products that work well together, so it doesn't seem far fetched to see an Apple Watch and Apple Smart Ring combo soon.