Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially approved Apple’s patent No. 17/715,343, “Electronic Device with Edge Illuminator,” which reveals the next step in the evolution of Apple’s smart ring. According to patent documents,The edge of the device shell of the smart ring will be equipped with a micro-LED or OLED one-dimensional pixel array to form a low-resolution halo.
When the ring is worn on the finger, wrist, neck, or ankle, the halo can be used to prompt incoming calls, schedules, or health alerts. It is also equipped with a precise tactile pulse function to avoid interrupting the user's current task.
When the ring is removed from the body, only the light reminder function is retained, thereby extending the battery life.
The patent sketch also shows that the color, brightness and animation of the halo can be dynamically adjusted.
未来，这款智能戒指有望结合苹果Vision Pro空间计算技术，实现无屏化的微交互体验。
尽管苹果公司尚未透露该智能戒指的量产时间，但据供应链消息人士透露，首款工程机有望在2026年问世。