Nike Sport Bands for Trypophobics

[ipedro]

I got a black/volt Nike Sport band for my birthday and when I opened it, it immediately made me uncomfortable. It sat unopened for a few days and I thought “this is ridiculous” and put it on my Watch. After wearing it for a few minutes, I just couldn’t wait to take it off...

I had heard of trypophobia before, but now I’m beginning to think that I have it. The holey netting of the HomePod kind of makes me queasy when seen up close. Anybody else experience this?

Anyway, now I’m out a $69 gift. Will the Apple Store take back opened merchandise ordered from the online store without a receipt?

 

[44267547]

I got a black/volt Nike Sport band for my birthday and when I opened it, it immediately made me uncomfortable. It sat unopened for a few days and I thought “this is ridiculous” and put it on my Watch. After wearing it for a few minutes, I just couldn’t wait to take it off...

I had heard of trypophobia before, but now I’m beginning to think that I have it. The holey netting of the HomePod kind of makes me queasy when seen up close. Anybody else experience this?

Anyway, now I’m out a $69 gift. Will the Apple Store take back opened merchandise ordered from the online store without a receipt?

Interesting, I have never heard of trypophobia before. I personally don't care for the Nike bands, but I do see the appeal for physical fitness and they allow your wrist to breathe easier.

Apple could take back the watch band, if anything, they might issue you a store credit if they don't refund you entirely. So in theory, you could purchase another band that you want in place of it. Apple is usually really good about these types of things.

 

[bruinsrme]

Ceramic edition.

Thought it was the most hideous thing apple produced in years.

Went to the store, put it on, turned around to one of the iMac and ordered it.

 

[Defender2010]

I think you’ve been watching too much American Horror Story Cult...

 

[ftaok]

Anyway, now I’m out a $69 gift. Will the Apple Store take back opened merchandise ordered from the online store without a receipt?

if you ordered online, can't you just print out a receipt? Maybe you still have the email receipt

 

[ipedro]

I was able to return it to the Apple Store without a receipt (it was a gift). The Apple Store employee had heard of trypophobia and after explaining it to her manager, I was issued a credit. I put it towards my iPhone X.

This really stinks though. I wanted to get the HomePod but there’s something about the cell structure of the netting that really bothers me. Now that I’ve experienced what I have with the Nike Sport band, I’ll save myself the headache and wait for a redesign in a year or two.

 

[CarlJ]

I had heard of trypophobia before, but now I’m beginning to think that I have it. The holey netting of the HomePod kind of makes me queasy when seen up close. Anybody else experience this?

I have had a little experience with that feeling before - weirds me out on rare occasions. But I have several of the Nike bands, and they don't bother me a single bit (wearing the anthracite one now, it simply reminds me of the traditional perforated leather Rallye-style watch bands for analog watches). I suspect it depends on both the intensity of the response in a person, and if there is some variation (eh, different "flavors" - maybe larger or smaller holes or something).

 

[ipedro]

I have had a little experience with that feeling before - weirds me out on rare occasions. But I have several of the Nike bands, and they don't bother me a single bit (wearing the anthracite one now, it simply reminds me of the traditional perforated leather Rallye-style watch bands for analog watches). I suspect it depends on both the intensity of the response in a person, and if there is some variation (eh, different "flavors" - maybe larger or smaller holes or something).

I would say that the sensation is the kind of grossed out feeling one would get looking at a swarm of insects up close and I think that it might in fact be evolutionarily linked to just that.

Looking at photos of the Nike sport band doesn't really trigger it but once I opened the box and looked at it in my hand, I instantly got a queasy feeling. The HomePod unfortunately triggers the same thing — even in just photos. It's weird.

 

[CarlJ]

Looking at photos of the Nike sport band doesn't really trigger it but once I opened the box and looked at it in my hand, I instantly got a queasy feeling. The HomePod unfortunately triggers the same thing — even in just photos. It's weird.

Yes, there have been suggestions that it's a leftover evolutionary response intended to cause us to avoid something dangerous. You said the black/volt band was a problem - that has holes that are substantially highlighted with a contrasting color - I'm curious if one of the less contrasty bands would cause less reaction (this is not an attempt to get you to buy a band - Apple certainly won't pay me for that - more just curiosity/experimentation). If you have an Apple Store nearby, it might be interesting to stop in and look at the various different colors of Nike bands in real life, see if some are more/less problematic.

FWIW, the HomePod doesn't give me even the slightest bit of the feeling, it just looks, uh, "gridlike". Possibly one of the variations in how different people are set off by this could be the ratio of the area that is filled in vs. the area that is holes. Or that they need/don't need to be round. Also, I have long association with speaker grilles / speaker cloth. Again, once the HomePod is out for demo in Apple stores, might be useful to go see it in person.