Upcoming Apple Watch Models Could Get New Magnetic Band Option

[vegetassj4]

I feel their bands moving through the factory targeting our wallets. Go ahead, Tim. Tell me I'm wrong.

 

[deebinem]

Too expensive. My favorite is the woven nylon. Apple doesn’t make them anymore but 3rd party maker StrapsCo does and I can get one with tax for around $25. They’re nice quality too.

Looks like they are down to $15! Might have to try one of these.

Woven Nylon Apple Watch Band

StrapsCo's woven nylon Apple watch band spells comfort and durability. Suits Apple Watch Series 1 to 8, Apple Watch Nike+. Fast worldwide shipping. Shop now!

strapsco.com

 

[mikedis]

I'm waiting for the Apple Watch Ultra bands. I hope we get to see some new & cools ones next month.

No new band styles. possibly new colors, if we’re lucky.

What discount? The bands are utterly worthless to apple lol. What shocks me is people pay insane amounts to buy these 2 cent apple bands they could easily buy a perfect Chinese knockoff of… and the third party band market in general has way nicer, more unique bands for less

The knockoffs are not good quality. Last one I had ripped at the connector and almost broke my watch.

in my experience, the cheap knockoff bands are cheap knockoffs for a reason. I don't know what they're using to make the rubber replicas, but if it's fluoroelastomer it's not as good as the stuff Apple uses - it looks identical but quickly warps and loses its lustre. I've bought a few now and would swap all of them for one decent Apple band, and I've learned my lesson: don't be such a broke boy!

There are some good clones of the Link Bracelet, amazingly because Apple can't make one for less than $499 lol. I still can't get over that.

+1. Although worth noting you can get a link bracelet for like $150 brand new on eBay.

 

[mikedis]

I love the leather modern buckle and have 3 of them. The only problem is it doesn’t have incremental adjustments so it’s always either too loose or too tight. So I just end up wearing my nylon sport loop everyday.

Thankfully looking like this one will have an infinitely adjustable buckle, so you can put it wherever.

Too expensive. My favorite is the woven nylon. Apple doesn’t make them anymore but 3rd party maker StrapsCo does and I can get one with tax for around $25. They’re nice quality too.

You can get most woven nylons either open box or slightly used in the $15-30 ballpark on eBay.

I have a bunch of knockoff Ocean bands from Amazon for less than three dollars each and I literally can’t remember which one is the original $99 version. IOW I could literally replace them 33 times before approaching the Apple price.

When diving with my $700 watch in deep water, I think I’d rather have the first party designed and approved band on, rather than the $3 Chinese knockoff. But that’s just me.

Actually, not even exclusive to diving… I don’t trust $3 to save my $700 watch anywhere.

Well, for me, the knockoff woven nylon brand broke down just a few months after normal use, while only cost 50% less than genuine one sold by Apple (and sadly never again). Still waiting for another woven nylon band from Apple.

((eBay))

 

[mikedis]

Looks like they are down to $15! Might have to try one of these.

Woven Nylon Apple Watch Band

StrapsCo's woven nylon Apple watch band spells comfort and durability. Suits Apple Watch Series 1 to 8, Apple Watch Nike+. Fast worldwide shipping. Shop now!

strapsco.com

Alternatively, you can buy OEM for even less. Here’s a 38mm Black Woven Nylon for $10, for example.

OEM Apple Watch Woven Nylon & Sport Band for iWatch Series SE/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 | eBay

· Woven Nylon Band is one size fit-all band – 38mm fits wrist 125-195mm; 42mm fits wrist 145-215mm. For those who want to stick with the classic, simple smartwatch look, nylon is the way to go. Yes, all of your old Apple Watch bands are compatible with the Apple Watch Series 8 & 7.

www.ebay.com

 

[_Spinn_]

I wouldn’t trust the magnet to hold it securely.

 

[chouseworth]

in my experience, the cheap knockoff bands are cheap knockoffs for a reason. I don't know what they're using to make the rubber replicas, but if it's fluoroelastomer it's not as good as the stuff Apple uses - it looks identical but quickly warps and loses its lustre. I've bought a few now and would swap all of them for one decent Apple band, and I've learned my lesson: don't be such a broke boy!

There are some good clones of the Link Bracelet, amazingly because Apple can't make one for less than $499 lol. I still can't get over that.

I’m not broke, but you can call me a broke boy if you like….

I have been beating the hell out of my AW Ultra with a generic Amazon sourced Ocean Band on a daily basis for the past ten months and the band is still good as new. Furthermore, it is virtually identical to Apple’s.

Apple Watch Official Ocean Band Accessory: $99
Amazon Generic : $21

I would never pay Apple’s ridiculous accessory watch band price with good ones available on Amazon at 20% of the Apple price.

 

[Shirasaki]

((eBay))

That’s tough for Australian eBay site. Idk. Maybe I should import a few from US.

 

[CarpalMac]

Because there’s no competition, especially for iPhone users.

Something people who keep wishing for all others to fail really need to realise. Without any competition Apple would still be selling the iPhone 7 as its flagship, eeking out each and every iteration further.

 

[mikedis]

That’s tough for Australian eBay site. Idk. Maybe I should import a few from US.

Could also try local buy/sell groups. I knoe Facebook Marketplace offers good luck, but then you have to use facebook, so.. judge for yourself if it's worth it or not.

 

[coredev]

There are some good clones of the Link Bracelet, amazingly because Apple can't make one for less than $499 lol. I still can't get over that.

Of course Apple can make the Link Bracelet for less than $499. They just won't sell it for less.

 

[LightProtector]

No update to the CPU....

Apparently new CPU based on A15

 

[IG88]

Apparently new CPU based on A15

Yeah I misread it the first time.

 

[fatTribble]

Because people keep buying them. Apple has mastered the art of giving the absolute minimum possible changes each year. If people actually cut back hugely on buying into minuscule upgrades, the upgrades would get a lot more exciting. But it's Apple, and I'm going to get flamed for suggesting the slightest thing wrong with their practices.

iPhone is even worse. Is there a meaningful difference between the 12 and the 14 except we've lost the sim slot? But there's exciting new colors coming on for the 15. Unless there's any surprises, the best thing we have to look forward to is USB-C on the 16 and that's because Europe is forcing them to do it.

I definitely get your point. I just don’t understand what changes are expected in a Watch or iPhone year over year. When I look at other products like PCs, Macs, mechanical watches, toasters, cars, etc. I just don’t see rapid evolution. What are the big changes they could do every year for the Watch?

I still have a Series 4. Apple has added small upgrades every year. When it’s time for me to get a new one I’ll get all of those upgrades.

iPhone is the same in my opinion. People can upgrade when the old one wears out and get some nice upgrades.

 

[DevNull0]

I definitely get your point. I just don’t understand what changes are expected in a Watch or iPhone year over year. When I look at other products like PCs, Macs, mechanical watches, toasters, cars, etc. I just don’t see rapid evolution. What are the big changes they could do every year for the Watch?

I still have a Series 4. Apple has added small upgrades every year. When it’s time for me to get a new one I’ll get all of those upgrades.

iPhone is the same in my opinion. People can upgrade when the old one wears out and get some nice upgrades.

If I could answer what is expected in any detail, I should be working at Apple. This is a $3 trillion company that spent $30 billion on R&D last year. There are countries with a GDP smaller than Apple's R&D budget.

And the best they could come up with on the last 3 watch revisions is a bigger screen, a gyroscope, and a temperature sensor. Not even a faster CPU.

The best they could do for the iPhone is more ram, faster cpu, better battery life, slightly better camera. And they took away the sim slot, so it's not even a pure upgrade (I use my phone for travelling and with roaming charges what they are, I prefer to physically swap a sim card to be sure I'm not using my home data plan). On a product category they sold $200 billion of last year.

They're obviously making a profit, so why would they change? But why are customers to willing to pay them hundreds o billions of dollars a year to just keep buying the exact same thing over and over with a new model number?

The Maple Leafs are the worst and most profitable team in the NHL, so why would they change? The only way they will ever start winning is if the fans stop watching them until they win. Same with Apple. As long as Apple came make this kind of money with 5 year old tech, why would they ever update their products?

I agree with you on the Series 4 watch and I'm still using my iPhone XR. I'll be happy to replace them with newer Apple products when they wear out. I can't see any other reason to replace them. And if I had to buy a new phone now, I really don't see any meaningful difference between the 12 and 14 except the missing sim slot and the price, so I won't be buying the latest. But there are obviously many people who replace their phones with a nearly identical phone every year and they're the very ones keeping Apple from doing anything good. I don't get it.

 

[tennisproha]

Thankfully looking like this one will have an infinitely adjustable buckle, so you can put it wherever.

Where are you seeing that? According to the rumor, it will have preset holes like the modern buckle. So no incremental adjustment.

 

[mikedis]

Where are you seeing that? According to the rumor, it will have preset holes like the modern buckle. So no incremental adjustment.

The concept photo MacRumors made has no bearing and 100% will not happen. They just took an Hermes Jumping Single Tour and put a Modern Buckle design on it. The original source used this photo for concept, and I'd imagine it's more likely than the preset hole design. This one looks like the buckle will be able to slide up and down as needed for fit.

Of course, both designs are just speculation. We won't know for sure until the event.

 

[extrachrispy]

Because people keep buying them. Apple has mastered the art of giving the absolute minimum possible changes each year. If people actually cut back hugely on buying into minuscule upgrades, the upgrades would get a lot more exciting. But it's Apple, and I'm going to get flamed for suggesting the slightest thing wrong with their practices.

iPhone is even worse. Is there a meaningful difference between the 12 and the 14 except we've lost the sim slot? But there's exciting new colors coming on for the 15. Unless there's any surprises, the best thing we have to look forward to is USB-C on the 16 and that's because Europe is forcing them to do it.

Although I agree with you on the drips and drabs, generally, from one model to the next, to answer your specific question re 12 vs 14:

• Satellite SOS. For those of us who live in rural or mountainous areas, this is a Big Deal.
• Vehicle crash detection
• Ability to change focal points/bokeh after the fact, e.g., the cinematic video mode

I've never done a side-by-side on nighttime photography of a 12 vs. 14. I upgraded from a X to a 14, and the difference is dramatic. I can get stunning pictures of the Milky Way from my front porch!