The new Apple Watch Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop honors Black History Month, coming up in February, while celebrating themes of human connection and community bonds, Apple said Monday.
Nomad Goods’ rugged Stratos band for Apple Watch just got a glow-up — literally. The new limited-edition Icy Blue Glow version of the titanium and fluoroelastomer strap casts an eerie glow on the wearer’s wrist.
The band “adds a little fun to your look, glowing electric blue in the dark and staying clean and minimal in daylight,” Nomad wrote Tuesday on X. “Built with titanium and FKM for durability and comfort, it’s proof that performance and fun can happen at the same time.”
While Cult of Mac hasn’t tested the band, the promo shots make it look wildly futuristic, like something you’d spot on the wrist of a rugged adventurer in a sci-fi flick.
Weather-permitting, spring has sprung. And Apple offered a fresh palette of vibrant colors perfect for the season in its new spring collection of iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands Tuesday. The collection features eye-catching new options for iPhone 16 users and Apple Watch enthusiasts, including premium Hermès Apple Watch band editions.
The PowerBand is a sporty Apple Watch band that comes with a built-in magnetic Apple Watch charger. The clever design will help you deal with two of the smartwatch’s most annoying shortcomings: its so-so battery life and the fact that you can only top up the Apple Watch battery using a specific type of charger.
Right now, you can snag a PowerBand for only $39.99 (regularly $49.99). That’s less than the cost of many Apple Watch bands that don’t come with a secret charger built in.
Amazon bargain site Woot! brings you all the colors of the rainbow in deeply discounted Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch bands. You can get incredible price cuts — 59% to 70% off — on many classic colors through Friday at 10 p.m. Pacific. That means you pay prices like $20 instead of $49.99 for Solo Loop and $30 instead of $99 for Braided Solo Loop.
And, as part of Woot’s “buy more, save more” promo, you can cut those prices even further. “Spend $39 or more & use code ‘APPLEBANDS’ at checkout for an extra 15% OFF these items,” the bargain site says.
An update to the Wearable Devices Mudra Band for Apple Watch brings enhanced same-hand, touchless gesture control and task management for users even in older models of the device, the company said Monday. The artificial intelligence-powered functionality complements the band’s existing solutions for iPhone, iPad and other Apple products, it added.
“One of our initial goals with the Mudra Band has been to provide our users with same-hand touchless watch operation, and we are pleased to cater to multiple requests by our customers,” said Asher Dahan, CEO of Wearable Devices. “This is a step forward in AI-based wearable technology, pushing the boundaries of what wearable technology can offer.”
SwitchEasy is offering a great deal in the Cult of Mac Store through Thursday, August 22 — buy any SwitchEasy Apple Watch band at 20% off.
You can pick from an array of cool Apple Watch bands in different styles and made of various materials, from stretchy nylon to stainless steel mesh. See below.
Last chance: Save a whopping 40% on SwitchEasy’s great Skin Silicone Magnetic Apple Watch Band. For just $17.99 (regularly $29.99), you can get a great-looking magnetic band that’s super comfortable and great for the office or the gym. But hurry: The sale ends soon.
The Skin Silicone band is a great example of a comfortable, stylish, durable and easy-to-adjust band. We gave it four-and-a-half stars in our hands-on review. The magnetic closure keeps it secure on your wrist, while getting it on or off is a snap. And the soft silicone feels great.
It’s a hot seller, and we have it on sale exclusively for Cult of Mac readers.
Apple shined a light on LGBTQ+ communities Monday with its new Pride Collection. It includes a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop plus a matching watch face and dynamic iOS and iPadOS wallpapers. In a first, you can customize the watch face and wallpapers by choosing colors.
You can order the new Apple Watch band starting May 22. The watch face and dynamic wallpapers for iOS and iPadOS arrive with an upcoming software update, Apple said.
Apple accessories maker Nomad turned up the wattage Tuesday on its second-generation glow-in-the-dark Sport Band for Apple Watch. And it also unveiled its first-ever Glow Sport Case for iPhone 15 Pro models. They both glow in the dark — even more so than the first Glow Sport Band.
The same leaker who pronounced Apple’s FineWoven material dead Sunday said Tuesday the leather replacement will live one more “season” in new colors. Apple uses the textile in iPhone cases and wallets, Apple Watch bands and some AirTag accessories like keychains.
Presumably, Apple will find a way to replace the heavily criticized material soon, and probably without returning to leather goods, as the leaker implied in their original post on X.
Apple reportedly ceased the production of its FineWoven iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands. Announced alongside the iPhone 15 series in September 2023, the woven material replaced leather in Apple’s accessories lineup.
However, users criticized the FineWoven material for its poor durability and in-hand feel. Its shortcomings became especially evident after a few weeks of use.
★★★★☆
If you’re looking for a hardy velcro EDC watch band for your Apple Watch, Mifa has you covered. Mifa’s Nylon Sports Leather Apple Watch Band is sturdy, the velcro is strong and the stitched leather is high-quality.
It’s a nice band for daily wear.
It comes in five different styles. The gray-on-black NASA-inspired design is my favorite. Two other designs in brown and black emphasize “EDC-34 Essential Series” with the Mifa name. And two new versions (in green and orange) sport NASA’s classic “meatball” insignia.
Apple unveiled new springtime colors Monday for its silicone iPhone cases and a selection of Apple Watch bands.
Mifa’s Every-Day-Carry (EDC) Nylon Sports Leather Apple Watch Band is a favorite item in the Cult of Mac Store for its cool, tactical look. And now you can get it in two eye-catching new colors — orange and green.
It doesn’t matter if your Apple Watch is made of aluminum or stainless steel, Mifa’s rugged EDC band can be a great complement to it.
Giant online retailers Amazon and Best Buy are offering deep discounts on Apple Watch 9. At Amazon you can choose different Series 9 versions ranging from $70 to $100 off regular prices. Best Buy offers tons of options, all at $70 off, from the cheapest to more pricey models.
And notably, Best Buy lists all of its $70-off sale items as “With blood oxygen feature.”
If you wear an Apple Watch or you’re thinking about getting one, you should enter our latest giveaway. That way you might win a super-cool and rugged new Lululook Waterproof FKM Sport Band. We’re giving away one orange band and one blue one, and anyone in the world can enter to win through February 10.
The band is designed for the handsome and tough Apple Watch Ultra 2/1, but it fits Series 9 and SE, as well (42mm/44mm/45mm/49mm).
If you’re looking for an Apple Watch band worthy of a black-tie dinner and a dip in the ocean afterward, look no further. The Laut Links Petite Apple Watch Band will suit your needs.
The pretty stainless steel band, which is seawater-resistant, comes in four colors. And it costs only $39.99.
Elago’s lineup of Apple Watch bands offers supreme comfort, immense durability and brilliant blue and red color options. They’re also just $18.99 each!
Bag one today from the Cult of Mac Store.
Juuk makes Vitero aluminum Apple Watch bands in Hong Kong, providing them to several high-end Swiss watch brands. But you can get one — or more than one — straight from the Cult of Mac Store.
The bands in the Juuk Vitero collection feature a strong sense of style, including several two-tone looks that are not for the timid.
Mifa’s fetching Modern Classic Leather band for Apple Watch is nowhere near as pricey as it looks. It’s made entirely from high-end leather and anodized aluminum, and it’s an absolute steal at less than $33.
Get yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.
“Oooooooh!” my wife squealed when I pulled the Juuk Ligero Rainbow Apple Watch band out of the shipping carton. The brightly colored links in the aluminum bracelet definitely caught her eye.
Unfortunately for her, the band wouldn’t fit her smaller Apple Watch. So I got to try it.
The Rainbow Ligero looks like no other band you’ve seen. As with Juuk’s other metal Apple Watch bands, the Rainbow version’s striking looks provoke an immediate reaction. Its bold colors — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple — shimmer on the wrist. And now it’s back in the Cult of Mac Store.
Apple unveiled its new 2024 Black Unity Collection featuring a new Apple Watch band and face Wednesday, as well as related iPad and iPhone wallpapers. Proceeds from watch band sales help support grantees in the company’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI).
The company also profiled one of the grantees — Shout Mouse Press — saying it inspires resilience and creativity in the Black community by lifting underrepresented voices in children’s literature.
Need a quick and easy way to give your Apple Watch a high-end look? Check out Juuk’s outstanding Aruna band, made from smooth and shiny stainless steel. It’s available in a variety of color options for all 38/40/41mm Apple Watch models — and every single one of them looks fantastic.
Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.
Your Apple Watch may be the ultimate tool, but it can also be beautiful jewelry with the right accessory. Goldenerre makes some remarkably pretty Apple Watch bands, and its Basketweave model is no exception.
Now available in the Cult of Mac Store in three lustrous finishes, you can get it for just $108.