On July 23, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially approved Apple's patent No. 17/715,343, "Electronic Device with Edge Illuminator," which unveils the next evolutionary blueprint for Apple's smart ring.
According to the patent documents, the edge of the smart ring's device casing will be covered with a one-dimensional array of micro LEDs or OLEDs to form a low-resolution halo.
When worn on the finger, wrist, neck, or ankle, the halo can be used to alert users to incoming calls, schedules, or health alerts, while also featuring precise haptic pulses to avoid interrupting the user's current task.
When the ring is removed from the body, only the light reminder function remains, thus extending the battery life.
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The patent sketches also show that the color, brightness, and animation of the halo can be dynamically adjusted.
In the future, this smart ring is expected to combine with Apple's Vision Pro spatial computing technology to achieve a screenless micro-interaction experience.
Although Apple has not yet revealed a mass production timeline for the smart ring, supply chain sources indicate that the first prototype is expected to be released in 2026. (Source: TechWeb)
