Apple CEO Tim Cook gestures during the annual developers conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S., on June 10, 2024.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Apple could launch a connected ring to rival Samsung by 2026, according to CCS Insight, adding to the US tech giant's focus on health.
The call is part of CCS Insight's annual predictions report and, if it comes true, would be the first new product from the Cupertino giant since the Apple Vision Pro headphones were launched this year.
“Health has become a fundamental pillar for Apple. In fact, I would dare say, at the moment when Tim Cook decides to give up control and retires… I would like to think that one of his great Apple legacies will be would focus on personal health,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, told CNBC's Beyond the Valley podcast released Tuesday.
“Given how deeply and personally committed Tim Cook is to health, I think a ring is a very complimentary extension for Apple,” he said, referring to Apple CEO Cook.
Wood highlighted Apple's focus on health, from products like the Apple Watch with all its sensors to the latest AirPods Pro 2 headphones that can convert into hearing aids.
Like smartwatches, a smart ring has multiple sensors built in to track health metrics like heart rate.
Oura was one of the pioneers in the space, but Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring this year, bringing this style of product to a broader audience as it looks to make a bigger push into the health space.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring costs $399 and adds to the South Korean tech giant's product portfolio, from smartphones to smartwatches, as it seeks to keep users locked into its world of devices.
Apple employs a similar strategy with its suite of products that attempts to keep its customers, who are already glued to its hardware ecosystem. A ring would add another product to that portfolio, Wood said.
Unlike other consumer electronics items, rings are complicated from a retail standpoint because people have different sized fingers. Samsung has several sizes and colors of rings and users receive a sample size kit before purchasing a ring.
Apple differs from Samsung in that it has a large, sleek physical retail presence that would help any attempt to sell a ring product to customers, according to Wood.
“I also think their retail presence is ideal because rings are complex products to market,” Wood told CNBC.
Rings are also fashion items. Wood said Apple products still have market appeal.
“Apple is a brand that has some prestige in terms of being a product that people are proud to have. And I think a beautifully designed Apple ring could be one of those things that is almost a kind of status symbol,” Wood said. saying.
