Sonos, maker of quality audio kit and some of the best wireless speakers out there, has released a new mobile app for connecting and controlling Sonos devices – but not everyone is happy with the change.
A large number of users are complaining about the new companion app, which was substantially redesigned after years of “extensive user research” and released to iOS and Android users on May 7 alongside a new browser application for desktop. App marketplaces have been flooded with one-star reviews since the new version dropped.
Here’s how Sonos’ social accounts describe the app: “A fresh look. Quicker access to your music. Easier control.” It’s meant to offer a simpler interface that’s more customizable to each user, offering something of a reset from previous versions of the app.
And here’s how a post on the Sonos subreddit with 700 upvotes describes it: “they royally screwed up.”
Sonos has since responded with an official statement to The Verge, from Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, chief product officer. “Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents just how seriously we are committed to invention and re-invention … It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future.”
The company has also reached out to members of r/Sonos subreddit, where most of the unhappy discussion has been happening (along with some in the TechRadar email inbox), to explain that feedback is being discussed internally and to solicit more feedback. “These team conversations have been tough, but ultimately very helpful in highlighting the features and functionality that are most important to you,” says community manager KeithFromSonos.
So, if you’re one of the people affected by the missing features (more on these below), be sure to take your opportunity to be heard (hopefully).
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So, what went wrong? There are many reports of bugs and apps not loading properly, but the most common complaints appear to be about small missing features that people relied on, such as sleep timers, alarms and specific numbers for volume control – with users claiming they’re either well hidden or entirely absent from the app. (For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find them in my Android app. And this is my job.)
Given people use alarms to, you know, wake up on time and get to their jobs, this seems like a risky thing to remove suddenly as a feature in case someone was caught unawares.
The new app also doesn’t allow users to edit their song queue, which is such a core aspect of music streaming today that its absence is a little shocking – even if Sonos intends to add it back in later.
The redesign is certainly sleek, with all those rounded edges beloved of UI designers these days, and there’s a permanent ‘now playing’ menu, which takes up a notable portion of the screen. It’s worth noting that some users are happy, or less affected by certain features having changed, and Sonos’ aim of simplifying the UI, and bringing important information together at a single glance, is clear from the new software.
Releasing a new application is often fraught, and we live in a time when companies are pressured to release fast and improve through successive updates, rather than getting everything out the door in the first instance. However, when you already have a substantial user base who are used to an app and family of devices in a certain way, removing those features is unlikely to ever go down well.
It feels like a beta iteration of the app, with Sonos acknowledging that the limited feature set will be gradually added in the future. In the case of that message, screen reader support is another very significant feature to have left behind.
But the promise of future updates at some point are little consolation for people finding their home audio setup is suddenly dumber than before. We’ve reached out to Sonos for comment on what kind of timelines to expect for features to be added and will update you if more information comes through.
We recommend holding off on the update for now if you’re more than a casual user of your Sonos system, as there’s no way to undo it. (Perhaps Sonos could allow the previous S2 app to become available as a separate download – this would provide a great bridge while things get ironed out.) And if you have updated already, we recommend setting up an alarm somewhere else. However, the app does feature dark mode, so at least it’ll get you in the right frame of mind before bed.
Samsung has a new monitor sale this week, which includes discounts on 4K and 5K Samsung monitors. The popular ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor and Smart Monitor M8 are both discounted during this sale, but you’ll also find sales on storage, audio, TVs, smartphones, and home appliances.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
As with previous sales, the highlight of the new event is the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor for $999.99, down from $1,599.99. At $600 off this is a solid second-best price on the 2023 display, which has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4.
Samsung’s 27-inch Smart Monitor M8 is also being discounted during this sale, available for $399.99 in Warm White, down from $699.99. This is a 4K smart monitor with a design that looks similar to the iMac line, and this is a solid second-best price.
Additionally, Samsung has quite a few more monitor and TV deals, which we’ve rounded up below.
Apple’s “Let Loose” event kicks off today at the unusual time of 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and we’re expecting to see an iPad-focused event with new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company’s TV app across various platforms. We…
Apple today unveiled redesigned iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED displays, a nano-texture display option, and more. The new iPad Pro offers a considerably thinner design and slightly larger 11- and 13-inch display size options. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and weighs less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thick and weighs a quarter pound less …
Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public “soon,” following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. “The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5,” said Apple, in its…
Apple at its “Let Loose” event today announced a new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro models, with a thinner, lighter design. Apple says the Magic Keyboard has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, while maintaing the same floating design. Two colors are available that match the new iPad Pro. New features include a function row with screen brightness controls, an aluminum…
Apple today held the first event of 2024, debuting new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and accompanying accessories. While the event was faster than normal and took 40 minutes, we’ve condensed it down even further for those who want a quick overview of everything that was announced. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We’ve also got a full recap of all of the coverage…
While the iPhone 16 series is still months away from launching, an early rumor about an all-new iPhone 17 model has now surfaced. In a research note with investment firm Haitong this week, analyst Jeff Pu said Apple is planning a so-called “iPhone 17 Slim” model that would replace the Plus model in the lineup. Pu said this model will feature around a 6.6-inch display, a slimmer design, an…
Apple will be holding its first event of the year this Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube. How long will the event be? In his newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the video will have a runtime of “around 35 minutes.” Apple is expected to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, along with updated Apple Pencil…
Everyone loves BBQ season… except perhaps the poor person stuck tending the grill. A new wave of smart grills looks set to change all of that, but Brisk It’s Origin is one of the first we’ve seen to use generative AI as a cooking assistant. One whose attention won’t wane, and who won’t get tipsy and burn the sausages as the afternoon wears on.
The design offers automatic temperature adjustment, achieved via a selection of heat probes and a PID algorithm. Set a desired temperature and it’ll manage the fuel for you, to keep your food cooking at a stable temperature, with no tinkering required.
For the ultimate in hands-off hosting, the Origin comes with a range of presets – so you can press a button and leave it to do its thing, whether that’s searing steak at super-hot temperatures or going low-and-slow for pulled pork.
(Image credit: Brisk It)
This smart grill can learn your personal preferences and respond to what the brand intriguingly refers to as ‘unexpected surprises’. We’re assuming things like temperature swings, rather than, for example, the dog running into the BBQ and setting fire to the garden, but we have asked Brisk It to clarify.
If you prefer to be more involved, you can also control the Grill It Origin yourself. Similar to the likes of the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL (which ushered our Lifestyle Ed into her grill master era), it comes with a companion app that provides real-time updates and notifications and can be used to control the grill without having to hop up from the table every 10 minutes. You can even ignite it remotely.
(Image credit: Brisk It)
It’s entirely fueled by wood pellets, so expect that authentic smokey flavor that can be missing with gas or electric BBQs. The Origin-580 Grill is big enough to fit four chickens, five rib racks, or four pork butts and there’s an even bigger Origin-940 option if you’re feeding a bigger party (or have very hungry friends).
There’s mention of the Origin taking care of pre-cook prep, although reading between the lines, we think that just means it’ll walk you through the steps required. It’s not quite advanced enough to be getting your meat out of the fridge and whipping up a marinade. Yet.
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Brisk It says there are more AI features in the pipeline, with upgrades available over the cloud. But if the current feature lineup is enough to convince you that a Brisk It should be part of your summer plans, their Origin-580 is currently $150 off at Home Depot, taking the price down to $699.
Smarter BBQing
Although it’s still pretty rare, this isn’t the only smart BBQ to dabble in AI – Seer Grills won an Innovation Award at this year’s CES for its AI-powered Perfecta grill. That one looks a little less like a grill and a little more like a futuristic multi-cooker that someone has dragged outside (and it’s electric/gas-powered, so no smokey flavor from pellets), but its functions are undoubtedly impressive.
The gadget senses the thickness of your food and promises fully automated, dual-sided cooking, in double-quick time (a burger in a minute and a half! A pizza in under three minutes!). Either way, it looks like we could be heading for a far less labor-intensive future when it comes to BBQing.
Razer just released the , a successor to the popular . It’s filled with improvements, including a larger form factor to accommodate beefier mobile devices like 8-inch tablets and even some foldables . The controller also offers USB-C compatibility, so it should work with just about any device out there, as long as it fits. Remember, even modern Apple products .
Razer says the controller has been “designed to provide an authentic console experience on the iPhone 15 series, iPad Mini, and Android tablets with 8-inch displays.” To that end, it features the company’s proprietary Sensa HD haptics technology, which includes a haptic coil near each hand to increase immersion. The company says this experience will actually surpass what’s found with traditional console controllers. The newly-released Interhaptics SDK will even allow developers to “craft bespoke haptic experiences.”
This immersion is further improved by integration with Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system. This allows for customizable lighting schemes, which lets players bring “a piece of their gamer room setup with them.” Beyond the lighting and haptics, the controller boasts the company’s proprietary Mecha-Tactile ABXY buttons and 8-way D-pad. There are console-sized hall effect triggers, programmable L4/R4 multifunction buttons and full-sized thumb sticks, complete with anti-friction rings. The expanded form factor also means it should work with most devices without having to remove the case.
Razer
The controller can access Razer’s subscription-free Nexus app, which pulls up custom button-mapping for thousands of compatible games across iOS and Android.. This means that it’ll be a plug and play experience for the vast majority of available content, without having to fiddle with control settings. Additionally, the Nexus app lets users record and share gameplay.
The Razer Kishi Ultra is available right now and costs $150. The controller is joined by an updated version of the Kishi V2, which now connects via USB-C. That one costs $100.
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This year there could be a higher chance you’ll be able to find an iPhone color you like than usual, as reportedly the iPhone 16 Plus will be available in seven shades – up from just five colors for the iPhone 15 Plus.
This is according to a leak posted on Chinese site Weibo (via 9to5Mac), with the source claiming that the iPhone 16 Plus will be sold in pink, yellow, blue, green, black, white, and purple shades.
For reference, the iPhone 15 Plus is available in pink, yellow, blue, green, and black shades. So only the white and purple options would be new this year – though it’s possible some of the others will be different versions of the colors in question.
The same shades for the iPhone 16
This leak only specifically mentions the iPhone 16 Plus, which is a bit odd because usually the standard model is available in the same colors as the Plus model. That was the case with the iPhone 15, so we’d think it’s likely that – if this leak is right – the iPhone 16 will also be available in these seven shades. But as it wasn’t mentioned there’s a small chance that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be sold in different colors.
In any case, this is the first iPhone 16 Plus colors leak we’ve heard, so we’ll consider it a possibility for now. But hopefully we’ll have a clearer idea of whether this selection of shades is accurate or not once more leaks roll in.
With the iPhone 16 line not expected until September it could be a long wait until there’s any certainty. But these phones should be worth the wait, with other leaks pointing to a new Capture button being added, all four models getting an Action button, upgraded cameras for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and of course more powerful chipsets.
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled new plans to support AI startups, particularly those partnered with Y Combinator, by setting aside $500,000 in credits per startup for Amazon Bedrock.
Previously, AWS provided startups partnered with Activate Provider with $100,000 in free credits; however, the cloud giant’s latest initiative increases this fivefold for the more recent cohort of Y Combinator-funded startups.
Amazon isn’t the only tech giant to be offering startups an AI lifeline, but the latest credit announcement exceeds the $150,000 set aside by Microsoft Azure and $350,000 by Google Cloud.
AWS boosts its AI credit offering for eligible startups
Announcing the boost in credits, AWS says that experimenting is both vital and expensive for startups, hence its offer of free credits. Since launching AWS Activate, the company claims to have provided more than $6 billion in credits to help startups experiment on AWS cloud “with little-to-no upfront cost.”
With the announcement, AWS is allowing credit recipients to redeem their AWS currency against third-party models on Amazon Bedrock from companies including AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere, Meta, Mistral AI, and Stability AI.
The extension of free credits not only aims to help cash-strapped startups but also helps secure partners’ revenue streams. Notably, Anthropic recently received a significant $4 billion investment from AWS, the maker of the Claude LLM family.
Y Combinator Group Partner Michael Seibel commented: “With virtually every startup quickly becoming an AI startup, our partnership with AWS has never been more relevant to the companies getting into our program.”
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As well as spending credits on third-party FMs on Amazon Bedrock, the latest Y Combinator Cohort (January 2024) can use them for Amazon Trainium, AWS Inferentia, and a reserved capacity of up to 512 Nvidia H100 GPUs via Amazon EC2.
There’s a good reason why Hulu is one of the best streaming services out there, and it’s thanks to the wide range of movies and shows on there. But just as new movies and shows are set to arrive, Hulu are also preparing to remove another load of titles in April 2024.
Many of the movies leaving Hulu this month are releases from the 2020s, including dark comedy satire The Menu (2022) where Ralph Fiennes gives a gripping performance as an enigmatic restaurant chef. Ridley Scott’s multi-perspective epic The Last Duel (2021) will also come to the end of its course on Hulu, and its stellar ensemble cast (Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer) is not one to miss.
Some of these movies rank among the best Hulu movies, and some are leaving much sooner in the month than others, so make sure you don’t miss out on something great!
Everything leaving Hulu in April 2024
Leaving April 1
Savage Salvation (2022)
Leaving April 2
The Menu (2022)
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Leaving April 4
Monster Family 2: Nobody’s Perfect (2021)
Leaving April 5
Son of Bigfoot (2017)
Leaving April 6
Beast of Burden (2018)
Mr. Right (2015)
The Program (2015)
Leaving April 8
The War With Grandpa (2020)
Leaving April 14
Black Death (2010)
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (2015)
Whether you’re after a spare gamepad to play local multiplayer titles with friends or need a replacement for the controller that came with your Xbox console, the Xbox Wireless Controller is an excellent choice and is currently on sale for some seriously tempting prices in both the US and UK.
By far the most exciting Xbox Wireless Controller deal right now is a $17 discount on the Dream Vapor Special Edition, which is on sale for a new lowest-ever price of just $52.99 (was $69.99) at Amazon. We particularly appreciate the eye-catching purple swirl design, which is unique to each controller due to its manufacturing process.
Other top offers include the stunning Electric Volt colorway, which is on sale for just $49 (was $64.99) at Amazon. The bright Pulse Red controller has dropped to only $44 (was $64.99) at Amazon too, alongside the lovely Velocity Green for just $49 (was $58.99) at Amazon. These aren’t lowest-ever prices, but they’re still respectable savings on some of the best-looking Xbox Wireless Controller models around.
Over in the UK, a smaller £5 saving is available on the Dream Vapor Special Edition, which is on sale for £59.99 (was £64.99) at Currys. While we’d recommend you give that deal a miss, much more compelling savings can be found on the Electric Volt and Pulse Red colorways which are both just £39.99 (was £54.99) at Currys with free next-day delivery included. Velocity Green then costs £49.99 (was £54.99) at Currys, which is a saving of £5 with free delivery thrown in too.
Xbox controller deals – savings on lots of colorways
Apple today announced that three more Apple Arcade games will be available on the Vision Pro headset starting this Thursday, March 28.
Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City on Apple Vision Pro
The titles coming to the Vision Pro tomorrow include popular endless runner game Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City, hand-drawn adventure game Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, and physics-based puzzler Spire Blast. All three games are already available on Apple Arcade on other devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
“On March 28, players can soar above windswept dunes in a fantastical place far from home in Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City, dive into an immersive jungle with a family of gibbons in the 2022 Apple Design Award winning Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, and collapse vibrant towers of all shapes and sizes that appear in their physical space in the fun physics-based puzzle game Spire Blast,” said Apple, in an email about the games.
Accessible through the App Store, Apple Arcade is a subscription-based service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro, all free of ads and in-app purchases. The service received its first price increase last year, with U.S. pricing rising from $4.99 to $6.99 per month.
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce…
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple’s password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they’ll respond favorably to social engineering. An…
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as “Instant Digital.” Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will…
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There’s also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who…
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18….
Apple today added a “Why Upgrade” section to its website, which is aimed at encouraging customers with older iPhones to upgrade to a newer model. The website allows customers to compare the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Each comparison shows what new features someone with an older…
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new…
Smart rings are connected devices with sensors designed to collect lots of data about you, like your steps, sleep and heart rate. They’ve been around for a while; Finnish health tech company Oura released the first version of its smart ring back in 2015. Since then, several other brands have come and gone because creating a smart ring isn’t easy – a lot of tech needs to fit into a small space while still feeling and looking good.
They can also be hard to market. Companies need to convince people to take a risk on an unknown design rather than opt for a more affordable smartwatch or fitness tracker that can (for the most part) do all of the same things. But 2024 could be the year more companies get it right – Samsung is set to release its Galaxy Ring in late 2024, and there are rumors that even Apple is working on one, too.
However, as more brands enter the space and compete for our hands and our money, there’s been an influx of lower-quality, cheap smart rings that don’t clarify how their wearable tech works or who made it.
I’ve encountered several of these myself while reviewing them for TechRadar’s best smart ring guide, and I’ve been approached by brands that won’t divulge what their tech really does or where it’s from. Let’s take a closer look at what to watch out for and how to ensure you find the best smart ring.
Carbon copies: One ring, many brands
(Image credit: Gloring)
I first became suspicious of several smart ring brands when I was researching new devices and discovered a few looked eerily similar despite being sold by different brands. I wanted to know why, and my research led me to Art Parnell, an Enterprise Systems Architect based in Northern Virginia, US. He created the SmartRings community on Reddit, which is dedicated to sharing news and holding brands accountable.
“I push for the resolution of current smart ring issues and seek improvements with app UI and connectivity,” Art tells me. “This was initially to improve my personal experience with these devices, but now I use those connections to elevate broader community concerns.”
One of the big problems with smart rings is licensees, or clones. Generally speaking, this is when a company buys a wholesale product from a third-party manufacturer – in this case, a big batch of smart rings – and then brands them as their own. This happens much more commonly than you might think across various industries, including consumer technology. If you go to Amazon and look up fitness trackers, you’ll see many cheap devices from brands you may not have heard of, and there’s a chance several of these are from the same manufacturer.
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Of course, many tech companies, including big players like Apple and Samsung, don’t create every component of their new devices themselves. However, there’s a difference between outsourcing the screen or processor of a TV, and buying the whole TV from someone else and sticking your logo on top of it.
Art calls these licensees ‘clones’ and tells me he’s dedicated to weeding them out. “I ended up creating a ‘cheat sheet’ image so that someone could recognize the most prevalent examples at a glance,” he says. “This has had mixed reactions from people loyal to one of these devices. But, most of the time, they have not even compared the device they own to another.”
It might be easier to spot clones if you’re buying a fitness tracker for your wrist, but because the smart ring market is so new, it seems that buyers aren’t doing their due diligence. They’ve just taken a new brand’s word for it.
Why would a company sell a clone? “I believe many of the licensees are just trying to take a shortcut into the smart ring space,” Art says. “Why invest in R&D when you can just buy a commercial device at wholesale and just start raking in the money?” He tells us that some companies may buy these smart ring clones for legitimate reasons, but they do it without realizing how many other companies have also licensed that same device.
The result? A whole load of rings that look the same with slightly different branding. Maybe some people won’t care; they like their new ring, the app looks nice, and everything works. But when I started reviewing one and asked the company whether it was licensed or not, they wouldn’t give me an honest answer.
Health data concerns
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Art says there are also other reasons why the company not actually ”owning” the ring and its app can be a problem. “Licensees do not always have access to the data in their companion apps,” he explains. “Instead, some are only granted the perception of ownership with a space for their branding, perhaps a registration page, and sometimes control over the color palette.”
This is a concern for users who may think their data isn’t being stored on-device or on company servers. Health data is extremely valuable, and should remain confidential. Most legitimate companies take data privacy very seriously. However, if the ring is a clone, it could be sending the health data it collects to an unknown company for unknown purposes. You’d have to read the fine print to know it, and even then it’s not clear.,
The prevalence of smart ring clones isn’t the only problem Art has noticed over his years running the SmartRings Reddit community. He says the more rings that are being rushed to market, the more companies seem to be cutting corners.
“So many of the rings that are emerging highlight their overall features and analysis, without really seeming to care about accuracy,” Art explains. “ But, accuracy should be the foundation.” He uses the example of stress, saying that several smart rings market their stress-tracking capabilities, but that’s not something they can measure directly yet. Instead, it’s algorithms paired with heart rate data. Yet that may not account for other non-stressful situations that might increase heart rate, leading to misleading results.
He also has an issue with how smart rings are sold as providing personalized insights and recommendations, but the baselines used to make recommendations are often too general. Not considering things like non-traditional sleep schedules, shift workers or mothers tending to babies. “It’s a reasonable expectation that when people buy these rings to help them monitor their own health, that it should be exactly that. Not how your personal baselines contrast with arbitrary baselines that don’t factor in these variances,” he explains.
Some of these concerns are problems we’ve faced when assessing the accuracy of fitness and health tracking tech more generally, not just smart rings. But this doesn’t always come across in the big, bold ways they’re marketed. “Smart rings are not medical devices,” Art says. “But that doesn’t mean they should get a free pass on accuracy.”
Why honesty is the best policy for smart ring manufacturers…
(Image credit: Circular)
Art says another problem concerns customer expectation, especially given that many smart rings are crowdfunded or have faced technical difficulties. Delivery dates slip and devices don’t always look the same as early press photos. “Those who are the most vocal critics just don’t understand how crowdfunding works. Or they only have limited experience with it,” Art says “Crowdfunding platforms are not stores!”
But this problem, and most others, can be addressed by more transparency from smart ring brands every step of the way. “If [a company is] licensing a ring, be honest about its capabilities, and don’t imply or directly say that the device is made by (company country) and it is their own invention,” Art says.
The same goes for marketing claims. “Sometimes, through no fault of their own, the internal or outsourced marketing teams that companies use are often deceptive,” Art says. For example, if you say a ring is the thinnest in the world and cite specific numbers, those numbers better be right.
“Many of these products are being developed by people who don’t have experience with communications… But the better they’re able to communicate honestly on a regular basis, the more people trust them.”
…And why patience is a virtue for smart ring buyers
(Image credit: Becca Caddy)
The research firm Exactitude Consultancy predicts the smart ring market may balloon from $314.52 billion in 2023 to $2,570.30 billion by 2030, a 718 percent increase. This means more and more new devices will be hitting the market, and anyone who wants one will need to be wary.
Art’s Reddit community is a good place to start, but finding the best smart ring still requires you to do your research, which isn’t easy for everyone. “You need to verify that the company is legitimate and that the device they’re pushing is not only something unique that they’ve developed on their own, but also that their claims are realistic,” he tells us. It’ll be no surprise if people default to the big brands that have already had a lot of press interest, which means smaller brands that are genuinely creating innovative new devices could miss out.
He also tells us that people need to be wary of reviews that aren’t honest, even on Reddit communities and tech sites. “It’s a disturbing reality and part of the reason that I created the SmartRings community,” Art says. He tells us that many companies have dedicated communities, which he says have become “echo chambers of praise”. In contrast, he tries to make his community as honest as possible. “I allow company representatives to interact with posters, and I flag them as company reps so there is full transparency,” Art says.
As with all new tech developments, taking it slow and doing your best to scrutinize bold claims is the best – albeit not the easiest – advice. “Don’t take marketing hype at face value. Dig deeper, and you might find your way to your ideal device.”
Art says he’d advise most people to wait until a device is out on the market and has been tested by multiple people, even though it can be hard to wait. “Early adopters like myself know to take everything with a bit of scepticism and know that much of the time, the promises will not match reality,” Art tells us. “But everyone isn’t wired to accept this, and most don’t want to ‘invest’ time and money into something that may not pan out.”
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Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City on Apple Vision Pro
