How the Apple Ring did blow the competition out of the water with various smart ring companies.

Rendering of a possible Apple Ring
Apple has been working on an Apple Ring since the 1990s. It is taking its time so that it is not just a clever piece of technology, but a ring that is so useful it will be a hit. Steve Jobs introduced the iPad with a long speech about how it was a bridge between smartphones and laptops. He spoke about the iPad being a new category of device and how it had to justify its existence. “If there is going to be a new category of device, then it has to be better…than a laptop or smartphone,” he said. “It has no other reason to exist.” Fast forward to today, and the same thing is true for an Apple Ring. Apple rings are popular because they are Apple products. But the real reason is that Apple has a history of getting wearable devices right. Any new Apple device will have the momentum of the previous ones. Momentum isn’t sufficient. Fitting into the ecosystem Apple must find reasons and features that make a smart ring worth buying. Jobs stayed away from mentioning the new device. The iPad should be better than a laptop, or a phone at certain tasks. But it shouldn’t replace a MacBook or iPhone. In 2010, the iPad was a part of a balancing act among Apple’s products. A smart ring, for example, has to find its place today between the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. It must strengthen Apple’s ecosystem and not damage any part of it. Apple’s smart band will be able to fit in with the rest of its family. It will have Find My and it will be able to communicate with the iPhone or MacBook Pro. Apple will not reveal the plan, but it will be a very well-thought out one. It’s not technical that you can’t pair your Apple Watch with your iPad. Apple is known for finding the right features. We won’t be able to tell what an Apple Ring can do until Apple announces its release, but we know what it has to achieve. We can also see what the Apple Ring must achieve as quickly as possible. Apple has the advantage of being able to keep a product running until it is perfected — the Apple Watch is a good example, and the Humane AI Pin the opposite. Apple could be doing the same thing with Apple Vision Pro. Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro both had to offer something new. Apple is only Apple if a new idea seems obvious and necessary in retrospect. Apple is late in everything, but it’s always the first to introduce a new feature that rivals immediately copy. Apple is a master at finding what seems to be later the only and right way to do things. Apple Watch took some time to become the health device that it is. Apple Vision Pro was developed because the company realized that wearers need to be able see the outside world. Apple patent detail showing possible designs for Apple RingBefore Apple Vision Pro headsets were mostly virtual reality headsets. You can bet on the fact that all high-end headsets from now on will feature pass-through video to the outside world. It’s hard to describe the difference until you’ve worn an Apple Vision Pro and preferably after wearing a regular VR head-set. It’s a difference as distinct, marked and right as when Apple moved the keyboard to the rear of laptops. Apple has to find the difference, the unique selling point for Apple Ring – and communicate it effectively. Apple’s obligation to communicate new features is to connect it with something we already know. It’s highly likely that the first thing that will be introduced will be a health-related feature, and it will build upon what we already know about the Apple Watch. Apple Rings could, for example, track sleep, which currently requires an Apple Watch and the need to remember to charge it every morning. Two points of contact – the Apple Watch and the ring – could allow for better biological measurements, such as heart rate. The ring is not entirely new but it does improve both. Both are benefits that are easily recognizable. Apple is everywhere. If there’s one trick to Apple’s success in using technology that others then copy, it may be that it considers more than just the technology. It’s not about what technology can do. It’s what it will do for the user, what they will do with it. Apple Intelligence is the latest and most striking example. Apple is the only company that has not created a ChatGPT style app. Apple is integrating AI into specific uses cases, where it believes that the technology will be more than just a toy. There is a hint as to how Apple might do this with an Apple Ring. Apple’s approach may be outlined in a patent that was granted late 2023, among years of patents. The patent stated that a ring can be worn all day long, so it is always available to the user. This allows for easier interaction between the ring and objects in the environment. Apple Ring will connect the wearer with what’s around him or her, while being unobtrusive. Just for you: A big lie about Apple Watch is that you can read texts on it. Although it is faster than grabbing your iPhone, it’s not a good idea to try this on a first date. Apple Rings must be able to attract your attention in some way, and if that’s through a haptic system, they could tap you. The Ring can tap you when you receive an important message. You will know without looking and your date won’t ask “Am I boring?” Apple Ring can be used to show you messages, calls, and reminders. Only you will see them. You can turn off all notifications and erase the entire use of Apple Ring. Apple Ring is far behind Apple Watch and iPhone in terms of how fast you can read a message. Apple Rings are the best at being unobtrusive when it comes to receiving a message you should read. Even you don’t even notice it. Then, there’s the unobtrusiveness for you. Apple is right to say that a ring can be with you at all times, possibly more than an Apple Watch and certainly more than an iPhone. Apple Rings will leverage that constant presence. Apple Ring will authenticate you biometrically and unlock a Mac when you sit down in front of it. Your front door may also unlock. Your car could adjust your seat and steering wheel to your preferred position just because it recognizes you opened the door. If you’re listening music and the phone rings, a certain gesture of your ring-wearing arm could muffle the audio. The ring flashes “M” to mute the music or video call. Apple Rings allow you to gesture vaguely toward your screen in order to move your presentation forward. Apple Rings will do all of these things, and they can. Apple will find a solution that no one could have imagined, but which everyone will understand. A lot of technology in a small space
Whatever that obvious-in-retrospect feature will be, if an Apple Ring is to do all it conceivably could, it’s going to require such a lot of technology in a very small space:
Haptic engine
Accelerometer for gesture detection
UWB chip to locate and Find Me
Biometric sensor
Connector or modem to iPhone or Apple Watch
Of course, the battery has to fit in there. Apple will have to keep the power draw down because it must be small. There’s also the matter of size. Apple’s Apple Watch was a major departure in that it had to figure out a multitude of combinations for the device and band size. But a ring is even worse. A good jeweler will be able to widen your ring if it is too tight. Ring shanking is the method they use. They cut into the ring, insert a wider piece, and then rework it to look the same. You can’t do that with a smart-ring. Wave for Work, which is a tiny device that wraps around your finger with fabric straps, is not a ring. Apple could do this, but it would appear like a miniature Apple Watch on your wrist instead. This doesn’t look very Apple and doesn’t seem to be conducive to wearing all the time. Apple Ring will be designed to be worn constantly. It will build on the health features that have been a success for Apple Watch and will take advantage of how it can detect location in a non-intrusive way and provide at least relevant notifications. It is unclear what it will do and when Apple will release it. It’s not looking like it will be here in 2024 and 2025 is also a bit sketchy. Apple’s willingness to release something and call it the Apple Ring is also a question. Apple Pencils are the name of its styluses, so don’t be shocked to see Tim Cook sporting an Apple Band of Gold.