I once wanted an Apple smart ring. I wouldn’t buy one now

With most technology, it’s reasonably easy to imagine what the experience will be like. Smartphones are like cellphones. Tablets are like smartphones. Smartwatches are like wristwatches, only with horrifically shortened battery life. Consumer tech rarely makes conceptual leaps, preferring to take a known experience and elevate what can be achieved.

But smart rings, like virtual-reality headsets, fall into the smaller category of tech that is almost literally unimaginable. What’s it like wearing a smart ring all day long? I’ll tell you what it’s not like: wearing a normal ring, or indeed anything else. And until you’ve tried one, nobody can adequately convince you that it’s going to be a positive experience. Which is a problem for sales.

Until recently, I thought smart rings were a golden opportunity for Apple. That they would fit in the Cupertino ecosystem in roughly the same way as the Apple Watch: a shrunk-down, always-on version of the iPhone delivering a shrunk-down subset of its features. It could deliver notifications and collect health data (and also unlock doors and Macs) while keeping a low profile and requiring minimal interaction. In the context of Apple’s ostensible drive to reduce screen use (see: Screen Time, Downtime, Do Not Disturb, and other Focus modes), this struck me as a promising avenue.

But I think this less and less. Partly this is because of safety concerns. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring has been hit by recent reports of bloated batteries, and one YouTuber was turned away from a flight and ended up in the hospital after his ring swelled so much it could no longer be removed. This isn’t to say that an Apple Ring would face similar problems, or even that Samsung’s problem is especially widespread. It’s just that a doctor wielding medical lubricant and a pair of bolt cutters isn’t the sort of image you want in your head when considering an expensive purchase. It’s not an issue the reviews ever really considered before, but it’s certainly something people will remember when deciding whether to buy one.

More than this, though, I just don’t think an Apple Ring has a niche that isn’t already filled by the Apple Watch. I spent last week testing the new Apple Watch SE 3, and it’s an excellent smartwatch at an affordable price. Why buy an Apple Ring when you can get an always-on display, great health features, and excellent battery life (by, you know, the objectively poor standards of smartwatches) for just $249, far less than the $400 Samsung Galaxy Ring? Why learn a new format when a familiar format is doing such a good job already?

The SE 3 is slimline and unobtrusive and delivers precisely that combination of discreet notifications and health monitoring that I wanted from an Apple Ring. And if anything goes wrong with the battery you can just unbuckle the strap and throw it on the floor with your fingers mercifully unscathed.

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.

Trending: Top stories

Apple has finally found the solution to iPhone complexity, writes the Macalope.

Mahmoud Itani upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and solved every problem he had.

We took a tour of Apple Music’s futuristic L.A. studio. Check out these gorgeous photos.

These new Beats are the perfect Cosmic Orange companion (and they fit great, too).

Apple Music VP talks AirPods design, features, and teases new Beats accessories.

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme plays catch-up with a chip Apple is ready to retire.

Podcast of the week

Check out the latest episode to hear all about Apple’s AirPods Pro 3. Find out about how they sound, how they fit, how the heart-rate monitoring works, and more.

You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

Reviews corner

• iPhone 17 Pro Max review: Pro with a capital ‘P’ (and ‘R-O’).
• iPhone 17 review: Boringly extraordinary.
• Hollow Knight Silksong review: A rare gaming sequel that lives up to the hype.
• iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac review: Recovers data, but it’s not cheap.

The rumor mill

Samsung basically just told us when the folding iPhone is going to ship.

Flurry of leaks point to imminent iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Vision Pro launches.

Apple reportedly scraps lighter Vision Pro to focus on Meta glasses killer.

M5 iPad Pro, iOS 26.1, and everything else coming in a surprisingly big October.

Software updates, bugs, and problems

Customers question Apple’s excuse for iPhone 17 Pro and Air scratches.

Analysis: Does wireless charging wear down your iPhone battery?

iOS 26.0.1 is out now to fix the most annoying bugs on your new iPhone.

macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 update fixes M3 Ultra Mac Studio installation.

And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.