When I heard that the Samsung Galaxy Ring It was real, my first thought was “why did it take so long?” I have seen the Oura Ring, but there is very little competition in this category, even though it makes a lot of sense. I'm surprised Samsung didn't adopt this concept much sooner. It is such a clear victory that a apple ring It feels inevitable. Correct. Apple does not copy Samsung. Sure.
We should have received a ring before the guard. We should already have an Apple Ring, instead of a Apple Watch Ultra. We can dive with the Apple Watch, but there is no Apple Ring. Something is backwards here.
A ring makes much more sense than a watch. First of all, I have a nice, stylish watch that I wear from time to time. I inherited it from my dad, who is still alive, so from time to time I like to wear it near him to show it off. I like it more than he did when it was his. But I still predominantly use my Apple Watch. I can't miss a day of closed rings.
Surely a large portion of Apple iPhone owners own a watch that they would sometimes rather wear than an Apple Watch. It's a wealthy group. Watches are still cool, even if we usually tell the time by looking at our phones. A watch is a great fashion accessory, as well as useful. That means I might need more than one watch to suit different occasions. I need to customize.
If I had an Apple Ring instead of an Apple Watch, I wouldn't mind wearing it all the time. It wouldn't stop me from using other accessories, unlike the Apple Watch.
A ring will be cheaper if I need a new one every few years
Secondly, we know that this accessory, whether it is a ring or a watch, will one day become obsolete, probably within two or three years. I'm going to change it, throw it away, or maybe just leave it in a drawer. That's not so easy with an Apple Watch that costs more than any other watch you've ever bought. A watch should not go out of style. A watch could not become obsolete before the Apple Watch.
It would be nicer to lose an Apple Ring if you needed something new. A ring is less personal than a watch. Does not have a face. I also imagine that an Apple Ring would be less expensive than an Apple Watch. There is more miniaturization involved, and that makes production and parts more expensive. But there are also fewer parts, by far, and no moving parts like the digital crown.
If I have to replace a $200 Apple Ring every two years, I'll be upset, but it's not as bad as realizing that my $600 stainless steel Apple Watch doesn't have the features I need and needs to be replaced.
Now that wearables are for health, a ring makes more sense
Why didn't an Apple Ring, or the Galaxy Ring, appear before the Apple Watch, released in 2015, or the original Samsung Galaxy Gear wearable, from 2013? Because the original smartwatch manufacturers had no idea what a wearable device was for.
The Galaxy Gear wearable had a damn camera. For video calls? Maybe, but it came with an app that could scan wine bottle labels and recommend food pairings. Tell me Samsung had any idea what wearables were for back then.
Don't laugh, Apple fans. The original Apple Watch had a feature that recorded your heartbeat and sent it to another Apple Watch owner to feel. That's got some creepy Facebook Poke vibes right there. Oh, also Apple sold a gold version for $10,000, and that model is no longer officially supported. I can't name another gold watch that expires in 10 years.
An expired Apple Watch is no longer even a jewel. It's worthless. If Apple sells a gold Apple Ring for $1,000 and stops supporting the ring, at least it's still a gold ring.
It took a while for smartwatch makers to realize that health was reason enough to own a wearable device. Everything else is gravy. Notifications are great, especially if you work in a field that never allows you to look at your phone screen. Still, it's the health features that sell smartwatches. No one buys a Galaxy Watch to use as a viewfinder for their phone's camera, although it can sometimes be a fun trick.
Now that we've decided on health, let's admit that a ring makes more sense than a watch. A ring is easier to wear while you exercise, especially if you play contact sports. A ring is more comfortable and easier to ignore than a watch, especially if your wrists swell and shrink, as mine do, depending on hydration. I don't track my sleep with my watch because it's not comfortable to wear while sleeping, but I could easily fall asleep wearing a ring.
After Apple Vision Pro, an Apple Ring should come
I haven't even gotten into how an Apple Ring could interact with the Apple Vision Pro, because it seems like Apple is focusing entirely on hands for input, but eventually I think we'll see its wearables and phones get more involved in the space. computing, and not just for taking cool space photos and videos.
Apple needs to make an Apple Ring and fast. I know that Apple never copies Samsung; It's Samsung's job to make the copy. At least that's how Apple fans see it. Forget that Apple only made big phones after Samsung made big phones. Forget that Apple only made the iPhone waterproof after Samsung did. And multiple cameras. Wireless charging. I'll stop, I've already made my point clear.
