Apple’s iPhone May Have an Unlikely New Challenger

Even though it has already given us the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone, the iMac, AirPods, and dozens of other gadgets and apps, Apple  (AAPL) – Get Free Report is convinced it hasn’t made its greatest contribution to the world yet.

It’s getting close, though, as Apple makes known its desire to expand into the health and wellness space. CEO Tim Cook says the company’s “greatest contribution to mankind” will be its health features. 

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So far, its health pushes have been met with mixed results. 

In 2015, we met the Apple Watch, which remains dominant in terms of wearables market share. With it, you can track heart rate, step count, calories burned and even some more advanced metrics like sleep quality and VO2 max levels.

Apple’s boldest and most recent bet on health has been its 2020 release of Apple Fitness+, which offers ad-free guided fitness classes with a paid subscription. Our iPhones also now come preprogrammed with the health app, which gathers health data from your iPhone, Apple Watch, and apps and manages other pertinent health information — such as past records. 

The reviews are mixed as to whether this is helpful or invasive. 

Apple Watch Has a Tiny New Competitor

One of the chief complaints about Apple Watches, however, is that they’re bulky and impractical. If you travel with one, you’ll need to take the charger along, since its battery life only lasts up to 18 hours. They also aren’t the fanciest things, so wearing one to a wedding or formal event  might look out of place.

Enter Oura, the Finland-based wellness ring that’s far subtler than an Apple Watch and has a seven day battery life. It also offers deep health tracking and learning, including sleep tracking, illness monitoring, heart rate variability (HRV), and activity levels. 

Most folks who prefer an Oura ring say it’s because the metrics are more in-depth than Apple’s, its battery lasts longer (which allows for multi-day sleep tracking) and it’s more formal. It’s been slowly trying to chip away at Apple’s stronghold on the wellness space, partnering with Best Buy  (BBY) – Get Free Report to increase U.S. sales and let shoppers try them on, since sizing a ring can be tricky. 

Oura has a cult following because of the things it does best: it has a tremendously user-friendly app that offers a treasure trove of data and insights. It doesn’t vibrate every time you get a notification the way the Apple Watch does (though some people like this, and you can turn it off), and it doesn’t have a big screen to protect and suck battery life. It’s the most “offline” wearable, and most people really do forget they’re wearing it. 

Oura Ring May Be Testing a New Feature

While most people enjoy feeling unencumbered by their Oura rings, some might appreciate the convenience that something like a watch or smartphone might afford them while out running errands. Which is why the Oura Ring 4 might feature contactless payments when it’s released. 

In a blog post from May 9, Oura announced its acquisition of Proxy, a digital identity signal platform. 

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the innovative Proxy team to expand our addressable market, paving the way for new opportunities in areas such as payments, access, security, identity, and beyond, fueling future growth,” Oura CEO Tom Hale said. 

The key word in here is “payments.” Speculation is swirling that Oura rings will soon offer a way to link with your bank account so you can grab a coffee on your unplugged morning walk. 

But not everybody wants this.  

“Contra opinion here. Not what I signed up for. Not what I want. Not what I need,” a reddit user on r/OuraRing wrote. “What they should be investing in, more accuracy, more features, more reports, better algorithms, and more battery.”

One tech buying site pointed out that it’s just a step away from getting a microchip placed into your hands and a “sign of our creeping cyborg-ization.”

“Hard agree. I’ve been using the Oura since the first generation & the health aspect is the only thing that propels my buying the new ones. The only game changer here is that I won’t be playing anymore. I don’t want a credit card on my finger,” another Reddit user said.

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