Apple Builds Prototypes of Screenless Wearable to Take on Whoop and Oura

Apple is building prototypes of a screenless health and fitness wearable, aiming squarely at Whoop and Oura, the two brands that currently dominate the category, according to Bloomberg.

The project has run for several months under an internal label Apple calls a "technology investigation." Bloomberg, citing "people with knowledge of the matter," reports that top executives back the effort — but Apple has not made a final decision on whether it will ship a product. If it does, the device would not appear before 2028 at the earliest.

Early designs pair a slim fabric strap with a sensor-and-computing unit, per Bloomberg. Unlike the Apple Watch, the device would forgo a display altogether and focus on passive health and fitness monitoring rather than serving as a hub for apps and alerts.

Why Apple wants in

Apple already leads the global smartwatch market. The Apple Watch holds a 20% to 23% share of worldwide shipments as of early 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The company refreshed the lineup earlier this month at its annual launch event: the new Apple Watch Series 12, priced at $399, carries a redesigned health sensing system that reads heart rate every five seconds — 60 times more frequently than previous models.

The screenless segment is where growth is concentrated. Sales of screenless fitness trackers grew 88% between 2024 and 2025, according to market research firm Circana. Smart ring sales alone grew 195%.

The incumbents

Whoop sells a subscription-based wrist wearable with no display. It collects data around the clock — heart rate, sleep, physical strain, recovery, stress and heart health signals — and turns that information into personalized coaching through its app. Customers cannot buy the hardware outright; they must commit to a subscription of $199 to $359 per year, which includes the device for free.

Oura takes a different form. The Oura Ring is a lightweight smart ring tracking sleep, activity, stress and other wellness indicators. The company says the device measures more than 50 health metrics and surfaces personalized insights through its app.

Both companies carry heavyweight valuations. Whoop raised $575 million in March, lifting its valuation to $10.1 billion. Oura, valued at $11 billion in late 2025, is now targeting a $15.6 billion valuation in its proposed U.S. IPO.

Executive sponsorship

Two of Apple's most senior figures have a personal stake in the category. Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue are interested in the screenless wearable project, per Bloomberg. Cue assumed responsibility for Apple's health initiatives late last year as part of a broader reorganization; Cook stepped down as CEO earlier this month. Bloomberg reports that Cue himself uses a Whoop band and an Oura ring for health tracking.

Apple, valued at $4.98 trillion, has now moved from watching the screenless market to prototyping for it. If the technology investigation becomes a product decision, Whoop and Oura will face a competitor with Apple's distribution reach and hardware scale just as both try to justify multibillion-dollar valuations on the public markets.