Wait, What? Apple Creating a Smart Ring?

From watches to rings - Apple leading innovations in wearable tech?

Eagle-eyed observers noted that the iPhone-making company had applied for a patent for what appears to be a smart ring.

"A patent application published today describes an interactive smart ring that could work in conjunction with larger devices, like a phone," The Verge reported. "As Apple describes it, the ring could have a touchpad or a touchscreen, it'd likely have haptic feedback to let a wearer know when something has happened, and it could include a microphone for dictating commands."

If that's not amazing enough, it's also said that the gadget can figure out what you're writing via hand motion detection.

In the patent application, Apple noted that touch-based devices - already a convenient and interactive tool steadily making keyboards obsolete - may still be "cumbersome" for a number of tasks. It may even be "inappropriate" in certain scenarios where the light of the screen may threaten the safety of the wearer as it gives away his position.

"A smart ring would fit in when a person is already doing something with their hands or when they've become fatigued from holding a larger device up for an extended period of time," The Verge noted.

Despite these descriptions, Apple's patent application "doesn't really explain the use cases for the smart ring, though it does say that it could be used to help navigate and control another device like a phone, tablet, or computer," Digital Trends observed.

Further, the smart ring may also double as a PC mouse replacement or even a controller that lets you manipulate various aspects of your home, like garage doors and lights. And probably the TV.

Despite the promising potentials of the said smart ring, there's no guarantee whether Apple will translate the patent into a real, usable product. The company had other patents in its ownership that did not turn into actual products. However, the smart ring patent indicates that Apple has something like it on its mind.

It is worth noting that there already are smart rings out in the market today, although they have yet to fly.

"Interestingly, some of the designs look quite a lot like a ring by London-based startup Kovert Designs, which tries to reduce the number of notifications you get rather than bombarding you with notifications for every message you get," Business Insider noted.

Some have been used to control other electronic devices via Bluetooth. However, none have features similar to those in Apple's patent application.

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