Apple’s next wearable bet could be a screen-less fitness band to rival Whoop and Fitbit Air

Over the past couple of years, fitness bands without a screen have emerged as the hottest wearable category. Whoop remains the biggest name in the segment, but the competition has quickly caught up. Google already has its feet in the game with the Fitbit Air, while the likes of Garmin are also trying to grab a piece of the pie. 

The next entrant in the screenless wristband segment could be Apple. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is currently developing a screenless fitness band and is said to be currently working on prototypes. As per the outlet, the device may not see a market release before 2028, and so far, the company has not formally decided whether it wants to sell a screenless fitness band.

Apple is testing a very different kind of wearable

“The prototypes feature a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module. The absence of a screen would distinguish the device from the Apple Watch, a display-centric product that combines fitness tracking with apps, notifications and other functions,” says the report.

A screenless fitness band would be a natural evolution of Apple’s focus on health-centric wearables. The company brought smartwatches into the mainstream and has slowly baked health-centric features into other wearable formats. Most recently, the company put a heart rate sensor on the AirPods, and next year, the company is expected to launch an updated AirPods Pro with built-in camera sensors.

The fitness band could be part of a much bigger hardware push

The rumors of Apple working on yet another device form factor in the form of a screenless band come at a time when the company is expected to dramatically expand its product portfolio. Later this year, the Cupertino giant is rumored to launch a redesigned MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive OLED screen, alongside a smart home device that is supposed to be wall-mounted and looks like an iPad.

Smart glasses are also said to be in development at Apple, and we are also hearing murmurs about an AI-powered pendant, though Bloomberg reports that the latter has been postponed for the foreseeable future.