Oura CEO Takes a Twist at Apple with Smart Curtain Ring: 'This Product Category Is Hard to Get Right'

The Oura smart ring has left many wondering whether Apple will ever create its own competing ring. Oura's CEO apparently doesn't think so, and his reasoning includes some clear bait for the tech giant.

Apple's Wearables Line May Not Need a Smart Ring

Tom Hale, Oura's CEO, recently gave an interview where he was asked about any concerns about Apple introducing a smart ring in the future (via MacRumors).

Arjun Harpal broke the story to CNBC:

“I don't think they [Apple] “They believe in the value of the ring and the watch together, and they have no interest in disrupting the Apple Watch as a business,” Hale told CNBC on Tuesday at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. “I think they're probably looking at Samsung very closely and they're looking at us very closely, but it's hard to get that product category right.”

Hale's point about not wanting to disrupt the Apple Watch business is a good one. Nearly 10 years after its introduction, Apple continues to have huge success with the Apple Watch.

Top comment from JustNeedItForDev

7 people like it

I think the bigger question is what Apple can offer beyond what Oura already offers. Apple usually excels at making an idea more user-friendly. A ring with no display or function, just a bunch of sensors, is hard to make much more user-friendly.

View all comments

The company also has another hugely successful wearable product: AirPods. And with iOS 18.1, Apple added some major new health features to the AirPods Pro 2. More health features are reportedly in the works for future AirPods models.

But the line about “it’s hard to get this product category right”? Yeah, that’s all bait.

I’m sure the Oura Ring was a tough product to create, but Apple has all the knowledge it needs to create a competitor if it wants. However, at this point, she doesn’t seem to have much of a reason to do so.

What do you think? Should Apple make a smart ring? Let us know in the comments.