Apple has a habit of making patents of products go around online, whether or not the company has any intention of manufacturing the device. This is a strategy of the tech giant to beat competition into materializing a similar product. The latest Apple patent to make rounds online is what Apple fans call the iRing, which appears to be a smart ring.
There aleady are existing smart rings in the market, but it seems that Apple's version may just be what it takes to make people's green lantern dreams come true. According to Stuff New Zealand, the rumored device has a touch sensor which seems like a reincarnated 3-D Force Touch feature also found in the Apple Watch and the iPhone 6S.
Unlike other similar devices, the patent lists that the iRing will not be settling for push notifications. Apple says that the wearable will provide a "more discreet, safer, more efficient, omore ergonomic way to interact with touch pads or touch screens." This means that users will be able to use the device for multitasking. The ring is said to feature functions such as a microphone and a speaker, among others.
Other features include up to two "haptic actuators" which will be able to give directions to the user by tapping either side of the user's finger. The device is also said to support wireless charging and is equipped with a dial, a biometric sensor to track fitness and NFC. A notable feature is how the ring is able to capture writing by finger gestures in digital form.
Reports say that while the company is highly unlikely to produce a new device right after releasing new iPhone models, and following the delay in the Apple Watch and the issues surrounding the wearable, these will not stop Apple fans from talking about the patent. And Apple may just deliver.
