Oura, the company behind the most popular smart ring on the market, has just bagged a major hiring coup for its design team — Miklu Silvanto, formerly of Jony Ive’s Industrial Design Team at Apple. The Finnish designer will join Oura as its Chief Design Officer.
Silvanto spent nearly ten years with Apple, and was part of the team that worked on the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, several generations of MacBook, and a variety of Apple peripherals. Silvanto isn’t just a luminary of Apple either, having also spent time working with high-end audio company Bang & Olufsen, as well as travel brand AirBnB.
At Oura he’ll be heading up the company’s software and industrial design teams — so don’t be surprised if there’s a touch of that aluminum Apple magic in the company’s future output.
“My life’s work is to build beautiful models between human beings and technology,” Silvanto said of his appointment. “Oura is a wonderful place to do exactly that.”
A smart ring for every finger?
It’s a timely appointment for Oura, which is facing more competition than ever before in the smart ring space.
The recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ring (as reviewed by our friends at TechRadar) has been heralded as the smart ring to buy, especially if you’re an Android user, thanks to its accurate health tracking capabilities — even if it’s been criticized for its chunky size.
That’s not much good for an Apple user — Samsung’s ring won’t work with iOS devices — but Apple itself has apparently long been testing a smart ring of its own, which would put two tech juggernauts on a collision course with Oura’s core product. Silvanto, as a former Apple insider, would be perfectly placed to counteract that threat.
Looking to wrap some tech around your own digits? Be sure to check out our rundown of the best smart rings.