Report: Apple develops prototype of new fitness tracker, targeting Whoop.

Apple is quietly entering the screenless fitness tracker market, directly targeting Whoop as its competitor.

On September 22, Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Apple is developing a screenless health and fitness tracker, similar to the Whoop wrist-worn device. Apple has been exploring this product category for several months and is currently developing a prototype.

The plan has received support from top executives, including Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue, but Apple has not yet decided whether to release the product.

The project is still in its early stages, internally referred to as a "technical investigation." If Apple proceeds with the release, the device is not expected to appear until at least 2028.

The market reacted immediately to the news. Garmin, the fitness tracker retailer, saw its stock price fall as much as 2.5% intraday before recovering to a 1.6% gain. Apple's stock price, however, rose initially before falling back to around $340.

The prototype features a screenless design, differentiating it from the Apple Watch.

According to reports citing sources familiar with the matter, the prototype features a thin fabric strap and integrates a computing module with sensors, with a design highly similar to Whoop's wrist-worn devices.

The absence of a screen is the most significant difference between this device and the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch centers around a display, integrating health tracking, apps, notifications, and other functions; while this new device has a more focused positioning, concentrating on the collection and tracking of fitness and health data.

Currently, the project is still in the early stages of what Apple internally calls a "technical investigation," meaning there is still considerable uncertainty as to whether the product will eventually be launched.

Behind this new project lies a profound transformation underway within Apple's health and wearables team. Former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who previously oversaw the watch and health businesses, retired at the end of last year; Stan Ng, who was in charge of marketing Apple Watch and health products, and Jay Blahnik, who spearheaded Apple's fitness strategy, have also left the company.

Eddy Cue, who took over Apple's health business at the end of last year, has been pushing his team to learn from emerging competitors such as Whoop and introduce a simpler, more health-tracking-focused product philosophy into the Apple ecosystem.

Apple's latest Apple Watch and redesigned Health app have begun to incorporate features similar to Whoop, including more advanced heart rate tracking, daily status assessment metrics, and the ability to estimate a user's biological age based on health data.

The competitive landscape is changing, with Whoop and Oura rising rapidly.

Apple's move into screenless fitness trackers has a clear competitive background.

While Apple remains a global leader in the smartwatch market, Whoop and smart ring maker Ora are growing rapidly, each boasting millions of users.

Currently, the screenless fitness tracker market has formed a competitive landscape with multiple players: Garmin has long been deeply involved in the field of location tracking and fitness devices; Alphabet's Google recently launched Fitbit Air, officially entering the screenless wearable market.

Meanwhile, Ora filed for an IPO this month, and Whoop, currently valued at approximately $10 billion, is considering future listing plans.

A broader product portfolio: smart glasses, AI pendants, and a redesigned watch.

This screenless fitness tracker is part of Apple’s broader wearables strategy.

Those involved in the early engineering work of the tracker include members of Apple's Vision hardware team, which, in addition to developing the Vision Pro headset, is also working on Apple's first smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods, both of which are slated for release in 2027.

Wall Street Insights reported that Apple was previously developing an AI pin device equipped with a camera, which was originally intended for users to wear around their neck or attach to clothing to collect visual data for the new version of Siri, but the project has now been delayed.

Regarding smartwatches, Apple is planning a major redesign of its product line as early as the end of 2027, in order to break away from the product rhythm that has been dominated by incremental iterations in recent years.

The Apple Watch Series 10 achieved a thinner body two years ago, but the larger Ultra model has not undergone any substantial changes in appearance since its debut four years ago.

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