Writing for Bloomberg (subscription required), Mark Gurman claims Apple is currently developing prototypes of the device, but hasn’t yet decided whether or not to release it. “The project remains in a preliminary phase known internally as a technology investigation,” he explains.
Gurman explicitly draws a comparison to screenless products made by Whoop, which has already inspired several copycats. That company makes wearable devices to monitor health, stress, sleep and so on, along with an app which translates the data into analysis and coaching advice. The devices look like wristwatch straps, only without a screen.
The lack of a screen and overall simpler design mean that the Whoop 5.0, for example, is credited with 14-day battery life, as compared to the estimated 24 hours of the Apple Watch Series 12. It’s also cheaper than Apple Watch Series 12, which starts at $399, but you don’t actually pay for the hardware; instead you select a 12-month membership ($199, $239, or $359), which includes a band. But you’ll need to keep paying a subscription as long as you want to use it. Some other similar devices are cheaper still: the Fitbit Air is just $100 with no membership required.
With the Apple Watch line-up starting at $249 for the most basic (and now one year out of date) SE 3, there’s a clear gap in the company’s wearables portfolio for something leaner and more focused on health monitoring. We argued back in May that a screen-less ‘Apple Watch Neo’ was exactly what the company needs, so it’s heartening to hear that this may now happen.
But not soon, unfortunately. Gurman warns that, even if the technology investigation is successful and leads to a product release, this is unlikely to happen before 2028.
