Apple Watch Band Adapters Begin Hitting Crowdfunding Sites Ahead of Next Month's Launch

MacRumors · Mar 19, 2015

The Apple Watch is still several weeks away from making its official debut, but that hasn't stopped dozens of inventors from coming up with accessories for the device, and many of those ideas are showing up on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Along with charging stands, band adapters are a popular category for crowdfunding campaigns, and several different projects have been started with the hope of creating solutions that will allow the Apple Watch to be used with third-party watch bands.

Earlier this month, we covered the Click Apple Watch band adapter, showing off a 3D printed prototype, and now that project has been further developed and launched on Kickstarter. Click is a band adapter aiming to make most 22mm watch bands compatible with the Apple Watch.

Rendering of the Click adapter design

Click is a simple adapter that slides into the grooves of the Apple Watch, much like one of Apple's own watch bands. It supports several different pin styles, including spring bars, T-bars, and quick release bars, promising to give Apple Watch users more band options at an affordable price. It will come in two sizes and four finishes, to match all of the Apple Watch casings. Click also has plans to offer its own leather bands in nine colors.

Click adapter prototype in 3D printed Apple Watch

Until now, there has been no affordable way to customize the bands on your Apple Watch. The current selection is small and very expensive. We want you to be able to express yourself in every situation, because you shouldn't have to change for your watch; your watch should complement you. With Click, you can truly personalize your Apple Watch without breaking the bank.

Another Apple Watch band adapter also promises to let users wear their Apple Watches with existing watch bands. The Adappt is very similar to the Click, with Adappt also pairing its adapter with watch bands in addition to selling it separately. Like the Click, it slides into the Apple Watch band groove on one side and the second side features a standard pin that's used by most watch bands.

Rendering of Adappt Apple Watch adapter

Adappt will be available in plastic, anodized aluminum, stainless and gold plated steel, in colors to match each Apple Watch, and it will be available in two sizes.

Rendering of Adappt Apple Watch adapter color options

Thanks to high quality materials, Adappt will match perfectly your Apple Watch. Our aluminum is anodized through an electro-chemical process that creates a porous surface, then coated with a dye, to look and feel exactly like the Sport edition versions, Silver and Space Grey Aluminum.

Adappt's bands will come in rubber, leather, metal, and are priced very reasonably at $9 to $18, adapter included.

The Adappt band was actually launched previously on Kickstarter as the Standap and later removed, leading many to believe that its disappearance was at the behest of Apple, but it appears that Apple has not yet taken a stance on these types of adapters that will allow the Apple Watch to work with any band.

In the weeks leading up to the Apple Watch launch, we'll undoubtedly see additional band adapters and other accessories designed for the device. The Apple Watch will become available on April 24, but it will be available for pre-order and in-store try on beginning April 10.

The Click Apple Watch band adapter is priced at $10 for early backers, with delivery set for May 2015. Later backers will need to pay up $15 for a June 2015 delivery.

The Adappt Apple Watch band adapter starts at $7 for a plastic version, and goes up to $250 for a gold plated version. Adapters and bands from Adappt will ship in June of 2015.

Article Link: Apple Watch Band Adapters Begin Hitting Crowdfunding Sites Ahead of Next Month's Launch

nookster · Mar 19, 2015

Battery band

A band shaped L-Ion battery would be good.

Reason077 · Mar 19, 2015

It's been at least 10 years since I regularly wore a watch. But I do remember those "Spring bar" mechanisms were pretty annoying and unreliable.

Apple seems to have improved on that with their band mechanism, so it seems like a step backwards to use an adapter like this.

I'd hate to lose my Apple watch because the spring bar popped out somewhere!

mbc2237 · Mar 19, 2015

"Until now, there has been no affordable way to customize the bands on your Apple Watch. The current selection is small and very expensive. We want you to be able to express yourself in every situation, because you shouldn't have to change for your watch; your watch should complement you. With Click, you can truly personalize your Apple Watch without breaking the bank."

That is one awesome statement. "Until now...." The watch doesn't come out for another month, but until now, there haven't been any additional options.

Alenore · Mar 19, 2015

Reason077 said:
It's been at least 10 years since I regularly wore a watch. But I do remember those "Spring bar" mechanisms were pretty annoying and unreliable.

Apple seems to have improved on that with their band mechanism, so it seems like a step backwards to use an adapter like this.

I'd hate to lose my Apple watch because the spring bar popped out somewhere!

Thunderbolt is much faster than USB, yet there's still quite a lot of adapters.
Why ? Well, because there's a lot of USB devices, and they're much cheaper.
It's exactly the same here

Jason83 · Mar 19, 2015

Alenore said:
Thunderbolt is much faster than USB, yet there's still quite a lot of adapters.
Why ? Well, because there's a lot of USB devices, and they're much cheaper.
It's exactly the same here

Not even a little bit. Your Thunderbolt USB adapters don't put you at risk of dropping or losing a device.

69Mustang · Mar 19, 2015

Reason077 said:
It's been at least 10 years since I regularly wore a watch. But I do remember those "Spring bar" mechanisms were pretty annoying and unreliable.

Apple seems to have improved on that with their band mechanism, so it seems like a step backwards to use an adapter like this.

I'd hate to lose my Apple watch because the spring bar popped out somewhere!

All spring bars are not created equally. Some are better than others. The Click adapter seems to be a better solution than the Adappt since it works with multiple pin styles. The ability to add your own 22mm band might sway some to give the :apple:

watch a look see.

As for Apple's band mechanism, it seems more proprietary than an actual improvement on watch band mechanisms. It could be an improvement, but that's yet to be seen.

Mattsasa · Mar 19, 2015

Yes please!

That would be fantastic

diddl14 · Mar 19, 2015

Nothing the average Chinese add-on manufacturer can't build in a day or so...

LordQ · Mar 19, 2015

So I can use a Burberry band with an Apple Watch with this? interesting.

goobot · Mar 19, 2015

Reason077 said:
It's been at least 10 years since I regularly wore a watch. But I do remember those "Spring bar" mechanisms were pretty annoying and unreliable.

Apple seems to have improved on that with their band mechanism, so it seems like a step backwards to use an adapter like this.

I'd hate to lose my Apple watch because the spring bar popped out somewhere!

With the money you would be saving from apple's high prices you could buy a new one.

iSee · Mar 19, 2015

Are a lot of people dying to use random bands with their (future) Apple Watch?

I'm thinking higher-end third-party bands will be made to fit the Apple Watch directly and that there won't be a ton of people looking to use random low-end bands.

JCrz · Mar 19, 2015

Chuck

Yay! Adapters for people who want their $350-$17,000 watch to look like it came from Chuck E. Cheese!

unplugme71 · Mar 19, 2015

mbc2237 said:
"Until now, there has been no affordable way to customize the bands on your Apple Watch. The current selection is small and very expensive. We want you to be able to express yourself in every situation, because you shouldn't have to change for your watch; your watch should complement you. With Click, you can truly personalize your Apple Watch without breaking the bank."

That is one awesome statement. "Until now...." The watch doesn't come out for another month, but until now, there haven't been any additional options.

Technically, there is no current selection. There is no watch. Apple can still can the whole project.

That quote was hysterical!

noobinator · Mar 19, 2015

It's hideous but if I did need one of these I'd buy a Chinese knockoff that is probably just about ready to be shipped and not wait for something that I'll get in a year (if I'm lucky).

knemonic · Mar 19, 2015

The videos on both of those campaigns are so bad.

k1121j · Mar 19, 2015

yay i was not going to pay 400 bucks for a link band

OldSchoolMacGuy · Mar 19, 2015

Why would you go with a crowd funding site? Real brands will be releasing these too and they'll be available MONTHS before the crowd funding options.

Keep this in mind, more than 80% of Kickstarter projects that are funded are delivered late. A large percentage of those are never delivered at all.

Why must you jump in it now? You know why real brands haven't announced anything? Because just like the crowd funding sites they have to wait until it's actually released to see how they can build something that works. But once they can the real brands will be able to release a final product MUCH faster. It'll likely be weeks or a month or two max. Chances are the quality will be far better too than crowd funding options.

69Mustang · Mar 19, 2015

iSee said:
Are a lot of people dying to use random bands with their (future) Apple Watch?

I'm thinking higher-end third-party bands will be made to fit the Apple Watch directly and that there won't be a ton of people looking to use random low-end bands.

People like individuality. It's one of the reasons iPhone/iPad cases come in many flavors. The ability to fit standard 22mm bands on the :apple:

watch could be seen as a plus to some. It's the adapter that's important.

There are 22mm bands that run the gambit from cheap plastic to high end exotic leathers and metals. Having that choice is the key.

StarManta · Mar 19, 2015

Seeing the hideous watch bands they've used in these examples makes me really appreciate the watch bands Apple designed.

gramtrax · Mar 19, 2015

ugh, that is one chunky monkey lookin' watch...

KiwiAdventure · Mar 19, 2015

Who's going to buy Apples watch I'm not and I'm an Apple fan. You would have to be crazy to be so hocked on information to have to wear it and may be some will wear the watch in bed.

pdaholic · Mar 19, 2015

diddl14 said:
Nothing the average Chinese add-on manufacturer can't build in a day or so...

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the Chinese knock off bands that will be sold on Amazon for a fraction of the cost of an oem band.

Edited to add that I'm not being sarcastic, it's hard to tell with many of the posts on this site.

69Mustang · Mar 19, 2015

OldSchoolMacGuy said:
Why would you go with a crowd funding site? Real brands will be releasing these too and they'll be available MONTHS before the crowd funding options.

Keep this in mind, more than 80% of Kickstarter projects that are funded are delivered late. A large percentage of those are never delivered at all.

Why must you jump in it now? You know why real brands haven't announced anything? Because just like the crowd funding sites they have to wait until it's actually released to see how they can build something that works. But once they can the real brands will be able to release a final product MUCH faster. It'll likely be weeks or a month or two max. Chances are the quality will be far better too than crowd funding options.

I agree completely. Once the adapter is done, the established brands have tons of 22mm bands ready to go.

Dargoth · Mar 19, 2015

Jason83 said:
Alenore said:

Thunderbolt is much faster than USB, yet there's still quite a lot of adapters.
Why ? Well, because there's a lot of USB devices, and they're much cheaper.
It's exactly the same here

Click to expand...

Not even a little bit. Your Thunderbolt USB adapters don't put you at risk of dropping or losing a device.

How are you missing the guy's point so completely? People buy adapters for Thunderbolt most often because most other technologies, even eSATA, are more common than Thunderbolt, and cheaper, so in the long run, you can save a lot of money that way. The same is true for this adapter. You can buy other bands not specifically designed for the Apple Watch as a method of saving money, and still getting a quality product. It is exactly the same within the context he was referring to. Just because this isn't an Apple Product doesn't make it garbage. Really, it doesn't.

Apple Watch Band Adapters Begin Hitting Crowdfunding Sites Ahead of Next Month's Launch

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