An Apple Ring patent application has been granted, amid conflicting reports about the status of the company’s development of such a device.
However, while recent reports focus more on the applications of a ring as a health sensor as a cheaper alternative to an Apple Watch, this patent is more concerned with using it as an input device …
Recent Apple Ring reports
A report last week suggested that development of an Apple smart ring is accelerating, following a teaser by Samsung of its own upcoming Galaxy Ring – but we described it then as sketchy.
This report seems to be based on nothing more than the opinion of one unnamed source, and we’re definitely putting it on the ‘sketchy’ pile.
We’ve literally been hearing talk of an ‘iRing’ in one form or another for more than a decade now, with a couple of analysts in particular pushing the idea. Yes, it’s true that Apple has patents in this area – but as we frequently note, Apple patents all kinds of things, only a tiny fraction of which ever make it to market.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also poured cold water on the idea of an imminent launch, stating that it was simply an idea being kicked around, with absolutely no current plans.
For now, the ring idea is just that — an idea. The company isn’t actively developing such a device, but there are certainly people within the walls of Apple’s campus promoting the concept.
Apple Ring patent
Apple has filed a number of patent applications for various ring-related concepts, and this one describes using it as an input device for an AR/VR headset.
The finger-mounted units may each have a body that serves as a support structure for components such as force sensors, accelerometers, and other sensors […]
Control circuitry may gather finger press input, lateral finger movement input, and finger tap input using the sensors and may provide haptic output using the haptic output device.
Apple specifically references it as an alternative to gloves as an input device for “electronic equipment such as computers and head-mounted display systems.”
9to5Mac’s Take
It seems likely that Apple at one point believed that optical recognition of hand gestures might not be sufficiently precise for a product like Vision Pro, and pondered the use of a device like this. Indeed, Gurman has previously referenced Apple experimenting with this approach.
Given that the company ultimately succeeded in delivering a device that can be adequately controlled using a combination of eye- and hand-tracking, this particular invention is most likely redundant.
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