Apple would not release a smart ring, unless it could do things the Apple Watch wasn't capable of. That's the word of former exec Dhaval Patel.
The idea of an Apple smart ring has been kicking around for many years. And with Samsung entering the smart ring market, speculation is ramping up.
That’s been fuelled by a host of ever-updating Apple smart ring patents showing the company is considering the idea behind the scenes.
As part of our latest PULSE by Wareable podcast, former Apple senior engineer and leadership veteran Dhaval Patel gave his ideas on what it would take for Apple to make its own smart ring.
“I have to be careful what I say because I was in leadership meetings and so, to some degree, I know the roadmap,” he told PULSE by Wareable.
“I would say it wouldn’t make sense for Apple to do in a ring what they do in a watch,” he continued.
Making the ring make sense
“It wouldn’t make sense because the watch – for all its disadvantages – the one advantage it has is that it’s bigger [than a smart ring]. And so you can pack more things into there.
“So, at least for Apple, it wouldn’t make sense to do that in a ring form factor while they still have the watch. It would be like making a tiny phone while they have the iPhone.
“It would only make sense if they can do something completely different that has never been done before or even exists, and it truly helps people. I mean, that’s what Apple takes pride in as its brand.
“At its core, it doesn’t have to always be the first. But, when it does it, it wants to do it right and really make an impact.”
Patel is now the CEO of Lotus, a smart ring. The inspiration for the Lotus Ring came from Patel’s experiences of limited mobility from being born with twisted knees, and spending much of his life on crutches. Lotus Ring aims to help those with accessibility needs.
The Lotus ring allows wearers to point to elements in the smart home, such as smart blinds or light switches, and control them with a click.
It’s pertinent because much of Apple’s patent portfolio for smart rings cover similar gesture control – with obvious applications for the Apple Vision Pro.
And it could make Lotus an acquisition target for Apple, should it want to go into the space.
“In theory, if they ever wanted to do it, they could do it by acquiring us, which is not something I have not thought of.
It is something that does cross my mind. It is a possibility. But for the time being, that’s not our focus, nowhere near.”
Check out the full PULSE by Wareable newsletter here.
