Apple could follow Google into the screenless fitness tracker race

Screenless fitness trackers are having a moment this year, and Apple reportedly doesn’t want to sit this one out. The company is said to be developing a new health and fitness tracker without a display, which would almost certainly rival WHOOP and the Google Fitbit Air.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has been exploring the idea for several months and is now developing prototypes. The project is said to be still in its very early stages, with Apple not yet deciding whether to release the device. Bloomberg’s sources say it probably wouldn’t arrive before 2028, if at all.

The prototypes reportedly consist of a thin fabric band and a sensor-equipped computing module, with no screen in sight. That would make it a very different proposition from the Apple Watch series, trading apps and notifications for a more stripped-back focus on health and fitness tracking.

Google launched the $99 Fitbit Air earlier this year, offering a similarly lightweight, screenless approach to passive health and fitness tracking. The Luna Band also recently began shipping worldwide for $149, joining WHOOP and Garmin as part of the growing number of screenless options.

Bloomberg says the potential tracker has attracted particular interest from Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue, with members of Apple’s Vision hardware team also involved in the early engineering work. But even if you like the idea of an Apple-branded screenless tracker, you probably don’t need to start saving just yet.