Apple developing screenless fitness tracker to rival Whoop
Original: Apple could take on Whoop with a new fitness tracker, report says
Why This Matters
A screenless Apple fitness tracker would directly pressure Whoop and reshape the dedicated health-wearables market.
Apple is exploring a screenless fitness tracker — described as a thin fabric band with a sensor module — that would compete with Whoop, now valued at over $10 billion. Bloomberg reports multiple prototypes exist, but release is not expected before 2028. Apple has not commented.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has launched a 'technology investigation' into a screenless wearable fitness tracker, an exploratory phase used to determine whether full development and a product launch are warranted. The device is described as a thin fabric band fitted with a sensor-equipped computing module — a form factor closely resembling Whoop's fitness bands, which track health metrics without a screen.
Release, if it happens, is at least two years out — 2028 at the earliest. Apple already competes in the wearables space with Apple Watch, which tracks workouts, heart rate, and sleep, but the screenless form factor would target a different segment of the market.
Whoop recently crossed a $10 billion valuation, signaling strong investor appetite for dedicated fitness hardware beyond smartwatches.
The report surfaces amid considerable change at Apple. Tim Cook stepped down as CEO in August 2026 and now serves as executive chairman, with John Ternus taking over as CEO. The company is also contending with component cost pressures tied to a memory shortage, while preparing a wave of new products: a foldable iPhone, new tablets, and a refreshed MacBook Pro. Apple is additionally involved in litigation against OpenAI over alleged trade theft.