No evidence Apple is developing 'smart wedding rings'
No evidence Apple is developing 'smart wedding rings'
(Reuters) - Social media claims that Apple is designing a smart wedding ring that can track spouses’ locations are unfounded. The story appears to stem from a 2016 article on a satirical website.
The internet is buzzing with rumors and renewed interest in the wedding ring said to track spousal loyalty (here) and (here).
Some users were seemingly duped by mockup photos of the black and white rings imprinted with Apple’s recognizable logo in blue.
“Uh, on what planet is this a good idea?!?! We are just straight up promoting stalking and control now?” said one user (here). Another commented: “apple is working on developing a tool which will be exclusively used by abusers so they can abuse their spouses” (here).
The claim seems to stem from a 2016 article posted by a now-defunct satirical website seen archived (here). The satirical piece boasts of the ring’s ability to “message the immoral deeds of one ring owner to the other ring owner, thus preventing sure-to-fail marriages.” A disclaimer at the bottom of the website reads: “Content of this website is a work of fiction.”
A ring debunk piece from Apple Insider, a website dedicated to all things Apple (here), says the image used in the claims is much older, tracing it to a 2007 article about an ‘iRing’ product to control iPod’s via Bluetooth from a company called Yanko Design (here).
VERDICT
Satire. A 2016 satirical article about marriage smart rings inspired recent claims Apple is developing the ring. There is no evidence the ring is currently in development.
