Apple is working on a screenless health and fitness tracker designed to compete with Whoop’s wrist-worn bands, according to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman. The project is part of a broader effort to rethink the Apple Watch lineup and expand into new wearable categories.
The company has been exploring the idea for several months and has moved into prototype development, people familiar with the matter told Gurman. The work has backing from senior leadership, including Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue, who took over Apple’s health efforts late last year. Apple has not decided whether to ship the product.The project is still in an early internal stage known as a technology investigation. If Apple proceeds, a commercial device is not expected before 2028. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
Prototypes described to Bloomberg News consist of a thin fabric band paired with a sensor-equipped computing module and no display. That design would trade the Apple Watch’s apps and notifications for a more focused health-and-fitness experience, closer to products from Whoop and Oura.
Apple remains a leading seller of smartwatches, particularly in the United States. Screenless trackers and smart rings have gained ground with users who want lighter devices, longer battery life, and fewer distractions. After Gurman’s report, shares of Garmin, which also sells fitness bands, fell as much as 2.5%.Cue has pushed Apple’s health team to study simpler, fitness-first interfaces used by newer rivals. The potential tracker has drawn particular interest from both Cue and Cook. Members of Apple’s Vision hardware team have also been involved in early engineering work.
The report does not mean a product is guaranteed. Apple often investigates multiple form factors—including, in recent months, ideas such as different Watch sizes and even a round display—without committing to all of them. A dedicated screenless band would mark a notable shift: a wearable built primarily around continuous health data rather than a full smartwatch platform.
MacDailyNews Take: Whoop makes a very nice product, but the Apple ecosystem is very powerful.
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