While Apple seems to be taking a close interest in the connected ring market, an analyst suggests that the firm would be better off buying Oura, the market leader.
Last week, we learned that the connected ring manufacturer Oura had obtained $75 million following investment from the medical firm Dexcom. Enough to bring its valuation to no less than 5 billion dollars.
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Enough to give ideas to American journalist Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of its newsletter Power Onpublished this Sunday, the agency’s journalist Bloomberg Here are his hypotheses concerning a future Apple connected ring:
I think Apple should consider offering both watches and rings to its catalog. The quickest way to do this would be to buy back Oura. But now that the company is valued at $5 billion, it would be the biggest acquisition in Apple history.
For comparison, the biggest acquisition in Apple’s history was Beats, purchased in 2014 for $3 billion, or $4 billion in 2024 when taking into account inflation.
However, we know that Apple is seriously considering the possibility of launching its own connected ring. The firm has already filed several patents to protect a device of this type.
Apple would be reluctant to launch into connected rings
However, the most recent information suggests that the firm has left this project aside in the face of the difficulties encountered. Last month, Mark Gurman indicated, for example, that “Apple sees no reason to launch a new product that could cannibalize Apple Watch sales“. It must be said that the connected rings currently offered on the market offer nothing more than connected watches, such as Apple Watches.
On the other hand, the main interest of connected rings lies precisely in their different format. First, they are more discreet than watches, less distracting with the absence of a screen. Next, the rings can allow users who don’t like to wear watches — or who already have a watch — to measure their health data.
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It is precisely with this argument that Apple could still change its mind by launching an Apple Ring intended for people who are resistant to Apple Watches. And in this context, the acquisition of Oura, the market leader, could actually be a rather effective way to get started.
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