Amazon has gotten quite ambitious with its apparel technologies, recently announcing two at its 2019 product event, including the Echo Loop, a smart ring that puts Alexa on your finger.
Now it seems that Apple does not plan to be left behind, the Cupertino company obtains a patent for a "portable electronic ring device". The patent describes the design options and functionality of a device capable of wirelessly interacting with your iPhone or MacBook.
The proposed Apple ring (for lack of a better name) would include a touchscreen and microphone, a processor, a wireless transceiver, and various sensors, as well as its own rechargeable power source.
As an Apple product, Siri will be integrated and, according to the patent, it will work with hand gestures. This roughly describes the Apple Watch, simply in the shape of a ring.
The Apple Ring with display and buttons.
(Image credit: Apple)
Between the sensors housed in the Apple Ring, there are haptic actuators to provide force feedback to the user. There will also be motion sensors that can identify a "typing motion" (so you can reply to messages without reaching for your phone), a page rotation, and a swipe to navigate the menu system.
The described laptop will also include biometric sensors to track the physical condition and security of the device. The wireless transmitter can also unlock another device, such as an iPhone, depending on proximity, while syncing user information to the phone.
The patent also describes the proposed smart ring as a device capable of controlling an external device, such as an Apple TV or iPad, by shooting directly at the small screen of the laptop, although this type of technology has not yet been point.
Different Design Ideas for Apple Ring
(Image credit: Apple)
No timeline has been provided for Apple's ring - it is still a patent, one of many patents filed each year by Apple, most of them. between them keeping this: ideas on paper. In fact, Apple filed a similar patent for a ring-like device in 2015, a year before Microsoft introduced its own ring-like device.
Amazon, however, has already left the initial block, with the Echo Loop shipping to some paying customers later this year.