Would the lyrics of the Beyonce’s Single Ladies change to “if you love it put a smart ring on it?”

That’s actually now a valid question given Apple’s next big one more thing moment could be something many would not have expected: a smart, internet-enabled ring.

The tech giant has filed a patent with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) that describes an interactive smart ring that would work in conjunction with other devices such as an iPhone.

Apple’s smart ring may include a touchpad or even a touchscreen, complete with haptic feedback for user alerts, and may even include a microphone for dictating commands, and a camera to take what we guess might be called “ring selfies.”

The concept ring is also said to include biometric feedback, so, in theory, it could take the place of a fitness band in measuring things like heart rate and even distance exercised.

Uses for what we’re going to dub, given Apple’s current naming policies, the Ring, could cover a variety of potential uses, from using the ring to control a smart TV or set top box, like the Apple TV, or could potentially do things like operate an external device other than a smartphone such as an iPad or computer.

If the concept of a smart ring isn’t slightly surreal enough already, one other use described by Apple in the patent is that it could be used for making peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. Direct quote:

“the user may say ‘by shaking hands with Steve I agree to give him $20,’ which is recorded and converted to text and/or computer instructions, such that when the user shakes hands with Steve, and the user’s ring is detected by an external device or a second ring worn by Steve, $20 is paid to Steve.”

Concept

Smart rings aren’t a new concept and there are a number of companies out there already selling them, but what Apple seems to be describing here is something far closer to an Apple Watch in terms of its potential functionality.

The problem, at least in terms of technology today, would include among other things battery life: given the not so glorious battery life of the Apple Watch how would you get a day out of the Apple Ring given it would be a smaller device again and yet share (particularly if it has a screen) similar functionality.

Whether Apple is just trademarking a proof of concept or is serious about proceeding with a smart ring is pure conjecture at this point, but we’d bet it’s not something we’ll be seeing in an Apple store at least in the next few years.