Apple Watch faces pressure from screenless rivals

Bloomberg reported on May 24 that Apple’s Watch lineup is facing a new competitive threat from devices that remove one of the smartwatch’s defining features: the screen. The pressure is coming from Whoop, Oura and Google’s Fitbit Air, which have been pitched around passive health tracking, sleep and recovery metrics, and longer battery life rather than notifications and apps. Bloomberg said the Apple Watch is “in need of a shake-up” as the broader wearables market pivots. ### Why are screenless devices becoming the comparison point for Apple Watch? Whoop, Oura and Fitbit Air are being discussed as a distinct category because they are built to stay on the body for long stretches and push most of the experience into a phone app. Coverage over the weekend described that pitch in similar terms across outlets: less wrist interaction, more background collection of sleep, recovery and readiness data. (bloomberg.com) Google’s Fitbit Air has been framed in recent coverage as a sleep-first, screenless tracker priced below many smartwatches, while Whoop and Oura continue to compete on recovery scores, coaching and overnight tracking. Gadgets & Wearables said Fitbit Air is aimed at people who want passive tracking without a display, and TechRepublic described it as a device meant to be worn at night as an alternative to a full smartwatch. (bloomberg.com) ### What are these rivals offering that Apple Watch does not emphasize? Battery life is one of the clearest points of separation in the recent reports. Entrepreneur said the appeal of screenless trackers is tied to “weeks of battery life instead of daily charging,” while coverage comparing Fitbit Air and Whoop focused on longer wear time and less interruption to overnight tracking. (gadgetsandwearables.com) Sleep and recovery coaching are another recurring theme. Macworld, writing about a switch from Apple Watch to Whoop, described Whoop’s appeal around Sleep, Recovery and Strain metrics rather than smartwatch features, and Bloomberg’s newsletter pointed to a market pivot toward health and fitness wearables that are less screen-centric. (entrepreneur.com) ### What do the latest reports say about watchOS 27? Multiple reports published on May 24 said Apple’s next watch software is likely to focus more on refinement than a major new artificial-intelligence push. 9to5Mac reported that improved heart-rate tracking may arrive in watchOS 27, but Apple’s AI health coach may not debut at launch. Cult of Mac said a bigger Apple Watch AI upgrade might not arrive with iOS 27, and AppleInsider said watchOS 27 is expected to be focused on bug fixes over features. (macworld.com) MacRumors said Apple is expected to unveil watchOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, with the first developer beta likely to follow immediately after the event and a public beta typically arriving in July. ### Does this mean Apple Watch is losing its place? Apple still occupies a different role from the newer recovery-first devices. Bloomberg’s framing was not that Apple Watch has disappeared from the category, but that the market around it is changing as consumers weigh whether they want a general-purpose wrist computer or a lighter device built mainly for health tracking. (9to5mac.com) (macrumors.com) Recent comparison pieces have made the same distinction. Fitbit Air and Whoop are being measured on comfort, overnight wear, coaching and subscription trade-offs, while Apple Watch remains tied to apps, notifications and on-wrist controls. That leaves Apple heading into WWDC with questions about how much health software it can add without changing the product’s basic form. (bloomberg.com) ### What happens next? June 8 is the next concrete date for the story. Apple is expected to present watchOS 27 at WWDC that day, and the software preview should show whether the company answers the recent focus on passive tracking, sleep features and coaching — or largely sticks to the polish-focused update described in the current reports. (macrumors.com) (gadgetsandwearables.com)