Apple Watch bands hit stores in limited supply

By

Apple Watch sport with black fluoroelastomer band.
Apple Watch sport with black fluoroelastomer band.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch won’t be available in stores for at least a few more weeks, but if you want to get a head start on your collection of band color options, hurry to your local Apple Store now. They’ve finally got Apple Watch bands!

I ordered an extra Sport band weeks ago after deciding the white I got wasn’t for me. I’m still waiting for it, and figured I’d probably be waiting for weeks. So as soon as I heard that some stores have bands in stock, I jumped in my car and sped to my Apple Store faster than Mad Max Rockatansky fleeing from Immortan Joe and the War Boys.

Unfortunately, bands are in pretty limited supply and only a few colors are available, but I lucked out and they had just what I needed. Here’s what it’s like to buy an Apple Watch band at the Apple Store:

Limited supplies

apple-watch-bands
Apple Watch bands are finally on store shelves

Unlike the Apple Watch display units that are closely monitored at all time, there was no fanfare for the Apple Watch bands. They’re on display among other Apple accessories on shelf walls. You don’t need any assistance to buy one, but if you’d like to check out the different band colors before making your purchase, you need to set up a hands-on appointment.

Black, white, green and blue Sport bands were the only options available at the Scottsdale Quarter store I visited in Scottsdale, Arizona. A store employee said other options like the Milanese loop and the Classic Buckle should be available soon. Some stores already have those options in stock. Each color option only had about eight units left in both the 42 mm and 38 mm sizes. Buying the bands is just as quick as any other accessory: Pull up the Apple Store app on your phone, scan the bar code, pay with Apple Pay and you’re out.

Packaging

Apple-watch-packaging

The Apple Watch band box is super-thin, especially compared to the giant plastic box the Apple Watch ships in. Once you open up the box, the package is divided into three panels: an instructional panel at the top, the Apple Watch band with the medium/large size in the middle and the extra small/medium band inside the bottom.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.