Oura CEO Says Apple Won't Make a Smart Ring Because 'It's Hard to Do'

[hovscorpion12]

I imagine it is very difficult to put that much technology in something so small, and have 5 day battery life.

Samsung's Galaxy Ring's battery life is up to 6 days for sizes 5–11 and up to 7 days for sizes 12–13.

Oura's CEO is just scared.

 

[Return Zero]

I can't stand these types of articles. It makes it sound like the CEO just came out and randomly/brazenly started commenting on Apple's strategy.

The reality is that an interview was set up to promote their new product, the interviewer asked specific questions about competition from Samsung, the CEO responded by focusing on his own product and vision, then the interviewer got even more specific about health trackers and mentioned Apple, the CEO responded without mentioning Apple (but describing why he thinks the finger is a better point to track metrics than the wrist), then the interviewer mentioned iPhones in a question about AI, and the CEO responded without mentioning Apple. That's all the video clip on the CNBC site showed, but I guess at some point the interviewer kept pestering him about Apple enough that he finally commented on them. Per usual, the media asks leading questions to break the stories they want to break, not to simply break the actual news.

 

[legacyb4]

Ha ha, so naive.

If there's a demonstrated opportunity to make money, Apple will.

 

[hovscorpion12]

Ha ha, so naive.

If there's a demonstrated opportunity to make money, Apple will.

To be fair, there's over ten opportunities to make money and Apple ignored. 🤷‍♂️

We'll see how this one pans out

 

[johnsc3]

I got my Oura 4 last Friday and started wearing it on Monday morning. It's now Thursday morning where I am, I haven't taken it off, and I've still got 34% battery left. It's very possible. I also haven't worn my AWU2 or Garmin Fenix 7X to sleep since I got it. It's worth it for that alone.

You don’t have to prove anything to the uninitiated.

 

[alphaswift]

Because I pretty much never take my watch off except to charge, I can't see the use case for me.

 

[WWPD]

Tim Cook is looking to hire Celebrimbor as Design Chief.

 

[ghostface147]

I’ll stick to my mood ring. Never changes colors though. I guess I need to reboot myself safely.

 

[djgamble]

perhaps, but also, why? why doesnt everything now have to be a "smart" device or even a "device"?

Agreed. I use a Garmin watch because I run ~85 miles a week as part of my marathon training. It's a piece of training equipment and I got it cheaply because the gym buff (power lifter) who sold it to me realised that he had no use for 99% of its functions. Whereas I use it to the max because it's designed for runners (most serious runners don't use the Apple Watch because its battery life is inadequate).

Making everything else 'smart'? It's sorta like pimp my ride. Yes but does every item NEED some sorta tech in it? My phone and watch are adequate. Can't say I need a ring to duplicate basic functionality. Also... I can't bring smart devices into work anyway so it'd be frigging annoying having to dump even more gear in a locker before entering the office.

 

[Contact_Feanor]

From the history lessons:

Responding to questions from New York Times correspondent John Markoff at a Churchill Club breakfast gathering Thursday morning, Colligan laughed off the idea that any company — including the wildly popular Apple Computer — could easily win customers in the finicky smart-phone sector.

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

Edit: Colligan was the CEO of Palm; the interview was at the end of 2006, mere months before the unveiling of the iPhone. We know how that went.

 

[ignatius345]

I got my Oura 4 last Friday and started wearing it on Monday morning. It's now Thursday morning where I am, I haven't taken it off, and I've still got 34% battery left. It's very possible. I also haven't worn my AWU2 or Garmin Fenix 7X to sleep since I got it. It's worth it for that alone.

Yeah, this is why I'd buy a ring. I have recurring issues with sleep, and having data about my sleep and activity trends is helpful to me. I would love to gather that data without using a smartwatch because I find it uncomfortable to sleep with.

 

[jarman92]

Aren't there like 6 different smart rings at this point that are effectively identical? Doesn't seem that hard, tbh.

 

[Koni17]

There's nothing hard about smart ring tech, new smart rings are popping up on the market like mushrooms these days. What's hard about it for a company like Apple, is introducing a cheap device that will cut into the sales of the much more expensive Apple Watch. You don't introduce the cheaper alternative if you don't have to.

 

[bmustaf]

Yes, it is probably hard making a good ring, but Apple's shown to be pretty good at hard things (whether you like their products or not, that is pretty hard to deny).

Let's also not forget that Apple rarely does thing that do not integrate significantly (financially & user engagement wise) with the higher-margin aspects of its ecosystem.

So, if you aren't buying apps, content, or consuming apps/content through it, it likely is not a major priority for them.

The "ring app" market and "use your ring to listen to music or get notifications from your phone to pull you back into the ecosystem" is probably not one they are interested in for obvious reasons.

 

[bmustaf]

I guess an Apple smartband is not in the cards then either. Not a huge fan of full-on watches.

Cannot consume content, cannot deliver notifications to redirect user back into content purchasing/consumptions devices and/or app interaction devices from which they take a 30% cut of the app revenues? Yeah, not going to be on the roadmap (not saying this is bad or good, just that it is the business model and explains the decisions).

 

[Enrico77]

The Oura cost like an Apple Watch, so dont think an Apple Made alternative could be lower price. However, even at same price point, I don’t think it would cannibalize the watch, because it is a different product and maybe more niche. Basically, for the same price the watch is better because more functionalities and it could even replace a phone, at least for short time. However, the ring can be interesting for two kind of person: who hate wear a watch or who like beautiful watches 😂 For e.g. me I like mechanical watches and I have even many of them… but even if I prefers them instead of Apple Watch, I don’t wear them anymore basically because I found difficult to renounce of smart watches features (last time I wear a mechanical watch I put it near a POS to pay by mistake 🤣)… so, for this reason it could be interesting. But I think Apple don’t like to propose alternative product: the target to sell ALL products (Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple TV… and more) to all customers… and ring and watch are for sure alternatives

 

[TigerNike23]

I would wear a smart ring over a smart watch. Unfortunately the Oura seems to be like a Gen 1 Fitbit.

 

[quietstormSD]

Smart ring is interesting. I kinda agree with Apple that it's a little redundant of a product if you already have an Apple Watch. If you already have something on your wrist that does all that tracking and much more, why have a ring too? I'm a runner too. So I like that my watch actually tracks my runs (GPS) without my phone. Rings don't do that. Also does a ring play music without your phone too? No. That's why I went from a simple Fitbit band that did all that to the Apple Watch. Apple Watch has it all without needing another device on my hand/wrist. I even waited for the Apple Watch to have GPS until I got one.

 

[grantishere]

I think it would be better if Apple partnered with Oura. Apple’s trying to shortcut health on the Apple Watch. Try working with them instead of against them.

 

[Enrico77]

The Oura ring is priced similarly to an Apple Watch, so an Apple-made ring would likely not be cheaper. Even at the same price, it wouldn’t necessarily compete with the watch, as it’s a different product with a more niche appeal. While the Apple Watch offers more functionality—almost replacing a phone at times—and is the best choice for most people, the ring might appeal to those who dislike wearing watches or who prefer traditional mechanical ones. For example, I love mechanical watches but rarely wear them now, as I rely on the smart features of the Apple Watch (I even once tried to pay at a POS with a mechanical watch by mistake!). A ring could be an alternative for those who want to keep wearing their Swiss-made watch (and maybe rotate through a collection) without sacrificing smart features on their hand.

 

[apparatchik]

if Samsung can do it, Apple can. No excuses.

I don't think there's any doubt Apple could make a ring, it's a trillion dollar company with the largest R&D budget (and talent, arguably) of any tech company in the world.

The question is if they want to, the answer is probably not at the moment.

 

[dannyyankou]

Samsung's Galaxy Ring's battery life is up to 6 days for sizes 5–11 and up to 7 days for sizes 12–13.

Oura's CEO is just scared.

For the record, Oura claims 8 days, I just didn’t know the exact number off the top of my head. And they’re not scared lol. As long as Oura is comparable across both iPhone and Android, Oura will hold the market advantage. Maybe that will change if Samsung makes their rings work with iOS, but not now.

 

[SebCohen]

I would never ever ever use a smartwatch. Period. I just don’t want the distraction or the focus on its functions it demands which I see my friends have with theirs.

I’d use a Whoop…which I’m researching. Or possibly a ring. But never a second…or is it third or fourth screen?

 

[anthogag]

I believe it's true, an Apple ring would cannibalize Watch sales. However, if Apple could make a ring to test blood pressure, that could work. A tiny bladder in the ring inflates to test blood pressure...yeah baby.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

How "smart" are people who pay $5,99 per month in order to use a ring they already paid at least $399 for?