It’s a big, beautiful wearable world out there, and Apple has only dipped its toes in a tiny part of it with the Apple Watch and technically the AirPods, but Apple wants this corner of its market to get a lot larger.
We’ve heard rumors of Apple experimenting with other wearables before, but now there is some interesting evidence that this could be a key part of Apple’s upcoming phase. That’s thanks to the new public patent issued this month, citing several potential Apple designs.
You can scan the patent for yourself, but we’ve done the busy work: It references some potential wearable designs and accessories, with these key points:
- A “loop” wearable designed to be worn on the body and attached with a fabric cord – most likely a necklace of some kind that can be tightened or extended, as indicated by the accompanying diagrams. It will include sensors and a haptic output for some kind of vibration cues, along with LED indicators and speakers for audio output.
- The device will be used to gather information on location, activity/exercise, medical/biometrics, and authentication features for the user.
- Apple is covering several different ways to attach this loop device, which is why it’s not really apparent if it’s intended to be a necklace, bracelet, or both. Note that most smart necklaces these days are designed for seniors and health-related alerts, which is certainly something Apple has been working on.
- Apple also indicates that this design has the potential to be placed on an object or an animal. This is often something associated with tracking devices like AirTags, so it’s interesting that this patent mentions it.
- Other diagrams specifically indicate that one purpose of the loop device could be a key ring with a key attached, a way to use a wearable that wouldn’t take up any extra room, or be another thing to manage in a purse or pocket.
- The loop device will include a charging case. This is worth a particular mention because it shows an innovative design that could easily be used with AirPods, Apple Watches, and other future devices. It uses a lid (think of how the AirPod case lid works) that’s designed to have varying opacity – you can make it clear or opaque with an electronic signal. Apple wants to use this translucent property to indicate charge levels. For example, you put in your device on low power, and the lid goes totally opaque because it needs to charge for a while. When charging is almost done, the lid has turned clear, letting you know you can take the device out again. Pretty neat!
As with all patent news, it’s important to take this with a grain of salt and know that there are absolutely no promises regarding a timeline for release. However, there is definitely some exciting stuff here when it comes to the future of Apple’s wearables.