Oura CEO Believes Apple Will Not Launch A Smart Ring Because It Is Difficult To Make And It Could Potentially Undercut The Company’s Watch Sales

Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple was able to enter the smartwatch business and, in a few short years, offer health-focused features that were not just instrumental in saving lives but also helped people change their outlook on their lifestyle. Similar health features have arrived for the second-generation AirPods Pro, and that only means that the sky is the limit for Apple, suggesting an entry into a new category such as a smart ring. However, Oura CEO Tom Hale believes that the company will not enter this market because not only is this accessory difficult to make, but it can potentially harm Apple Watch sales.

Smart ring maker’s Chief Executive says that Apple is ‘probably’ keeping close tabs on Oura, but it is not an easy product category to enter

Speaking with CNBC in an interview on Tuesday at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Hale says that Apple is ‘unconvinced’ about the value of having both a ring and a watch present on the same hand. Samsung, who is Apple’s biggest customer in the smartphone space, recently announced the Galaxy Ring, and it serves as a complementary add-on to its Galaxy Watch lineup of wearables.

“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.”

Apple is not actively developing a smart ring, but that does not mean the company does not have various prototypes getting tested behind closed doors. However, at this stage, it is termed as an idea rather than a product category that it is seriously considering. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of a smart ring because Apple has a habit of introducing devices for a certain market much later, and when that happens, its new competitors get nervous really quickly.

For instance, with the AirTags, Tile CEO CJ Prober claimed that Apple’s circular trackers would unfairly limit competition and requested the U.S. Congress to intervene, so let us see if Hale has any comments prepared for when Apple’s first smart ring materializes.

News Source: CNBC