Apple is plotting its next wearable — and Oura and Whoop may have reason to worry.

The second-most-valuable company in the world has been considering adding new wearables to its lineup.

Apple is the undisputed leader of the global smartwatch market; the Apple Watch holds a 20% to 23% share of worldwide shipments as of early 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. 

Apple is not content dominating that space. Bloomberg recently reported that the $4.98 trillion giant is exploring the screenless wearable market and is now in the process of creating prototypes of screenless devices.

Citing “people with knowledge of the matter,” Bloomberg noted that the screenless wearable effort has the backing of top executives, but Apple hasn’t made a final call about if it will develop a product.

The effort is still in a preliminary phase, internally called a technology investigation. If Apple decides to release the device, it will likely make an appearance in 2028 at the earliest, per Bloomberg.

Apple’s early designs reportedly pair a slim fabric strap with a sensor-and-computing unit. 

The new devices would go beyond the Apple Watch, which Apple refreshed earlier this month at its annual launch event. The new Apple Watch Series 12, priced at $399, has a new health sensing system with redesigned sensors that provide higher-frequency heart rate data. It tracks heart rate every five seconds, 60 times more than previous models. 

Unlike the Apple Watch, the rumored screenless device would forgo a display altogether , focusing instead on passive health and fitness monitoring instead of serving as a hub for apps and alerts.

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