Apple’s Secret Projects: Smart Ring and Camera Glasses

In addition to Samsung’s forthcoming introduction of the smart ring device, Galaxy Ring, Apple has previously contemplated the creation of a “smart ring” as well. However, it appears that the company is not currently pursuing active development of this device. Concurrently, Apple has also launched a glasses device, based on the Vision Pro, that could be likened to “AirPods with a camera feature.”

Apple had once proposed a product design for a “smart ring” focusing on health and fitness functionalities, as well as a glasses device that could be considered “AirPods equipped with camera capabilities”. The certainty of these products becoming commercially available remains ambiguous.

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s past design proposals for the “smart ring” concentrated on health and fitness features, but the company seems to have ceased active further design efforts for this device. Consequently, it is uncertain whether it will be launched to compete in the market against Samsung’s soon-to-be-released Galaxy Ring smart ring.

This device could potentially serve as a simplified version of the “Apple Watch,” allowing users to monitor their physical activity data more straightforwardly and synchronize this health data with their iPhone.

Furthermore, Apple may introduce an augmented reality glasses device based on the Vision Pro, crafted in a simplified form. This device is expected to compete with smart glasses developed in collaboration between Meta and Ray-Ban, or Amazon’s Echo Frames, among others.

The glasses device could be regarded as “AirPods with camera functionality,” enabling users to listen to music through built-in speakers and capture images of what they see through the camera feature. Additionally, it could record physical activity data through integrated sensors or provide assistant services through artificial intelligence.

According to information obtained by Mark Gurman, Apple has been installing low-resolution cameras into “AirPods” since last year, though it remains uncertain if such designs will ultimately become commercially available products.