Apple is building a screenless Whoop rival, but it may not launch before 2028

Apple is developing a screenless fitness tracker to take on Whoop, the wearable maker now valued at around $10 billion. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has spent several months exploring the category and is now building prototypes of a band that drops the display entirely.The early hardware pairs a thin fabric strap with a small computing module packed with sensors. Apple hasn't decided whether the product will ship. The project sits in an internal stage called a "technology investigation," and even if it moves ahead, a launch before 2028 looks unlikely. Apple declined to comment.The idea has backing from the top. Gurman reports that executive chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue have taken a keen interest. Cue took over Apple's health teams late last year and has pushed them to borrow from newer rivals built around simpler interfaces. Engineers from Apple's Vision hardware group, the team behind Vision Pro, have also worked on the tracker.Markets noticed. Garmin, which sells display-free bands of its own, saw its shares fall as much as 2.5% after the report, while Apple stock rose about 1%.Apple Watch is already copying Whoop and Oura, a band is the next stepApple remains one of the biggest smartwatch sellers, especially in the US. But Whoop and Oura have each built user bases in the millions by offering focused health tracking without apps or notifications. Oura filed for its IPO this month and is looking to raise up to $2.2 billion, while Whoop has said a listing is on the table. Google has entered the space too, with the Fitbit Air.Apple has already started borrowing from this crowd. The Apple Watch Series 12 and the revamped Health app bring a daily readiness score, more advanced heart rate tracking and an estimate of biological age. Whoop and Oura users will find all three familiar.The work also comes during a leadership change in Apple's health division. Former COO Jeff Williams retired at the end of last year, while Apple Watch marketing lead Stan Ng and fitness chief Jay Blahnik have both left.A screenless band would give Apple something it currently lacks: a way to sell its health tracking to people who don't want a smartwatch, including those unwilling to give up a mechanical watch. Before that, Apple is expected to launch smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods in 2027, with a redesigned Apple Watch due as early as late 2027.