Apple Releases Apple Watch Sport Bands in New Summer Colors

[axantas]

I have to say though, I've bought the chinese clone bands in the past and they don't compare. I don't know what type of material Apple uses but it's not cheap silicone and it lasts forever.
I have some vulcanised rubber straps for my regular watches and it kind of compares to that.

I recently had a close look at these bands in Bangkok - pre Corona. I was curios about it. They definitely look and are plastic. I did not like the look AND it was enough to have one of these in my hands. Haptics are not comparable at all. Plastic and cheap. I never ever will have a look at them.

 

[MisterSavage]

Don't have an Apple watch. I always wonder how comfortable are those silicone bands. I just cannot imagine having a silicone material in prolonged contact with my skin (+sweat and stuff).

I could be wrong though.

These Apple bands are actually really comfortable. Unfortunately the one that came with my S5 caused a rash on my wrist. I have to wear a metal band it appears.

 

[B4U]

These Apple bands are actually really comfortable. Unfortunately the one that came with my S5 caused a rash on my wrist. I have to wear a metal band it appears.

EloBeth Watch Bands Compatible with Apple Watch Band 40mm 38mm Series 6 5 4 3 2 1 Stainless Steel Business Men Band Compatible for iWatch 40mm 38mm (38mm/40mm Black)

EloBeth Watch Bands Compatible with Apple Watch Band 40mm 38mm Series 6 5 4 3 2 1 Stainless Steel Business Men Band Compatible for iWatch 40mm 38mm (38mm/40mm Black)

www.amazon.com

This is what I have on mine since I have the same issue.
And I don't have to deal with those magnetic ones which interferes my work.

 

[subi257]

Don't have an Apple watch. I always wonder how comfortable are those silicone bands. I just cannot imagine having a silicone material in prolonged contact with my skin (+sweat and stuff).

I could be wrong though.

Actually, they are pretty comfortable....at least in my opinion. They can get sweaty if you are doing active exercise, but then just wash them off.

 

[a104375]

Can we get some nike versions of these, though? The extra holes are actually really nice.

 

[duaneu]

Linen & AlaskanView attachment 922593View attachment 922594
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I've been wanting an Alaskan blue band, but they seem to be completely out of stock everywhere. Linen is close enough.

 

[MisterSavage]

This is what I have on mine since I have the same issue.
And I don't have to deal with those magnetic ones which interferes my work.

That looks nice!

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

You're forgetting (or you just don't know, actually) about the costs for tooling and setting up the machines to stamp these out, plus sourcing the color dyes, and of course the R&D involved to come up with the colors and the band design and also marketing and logistics costs. It's an 8 figure $ operation at the very least.

All in all the margin is probably around 20-25%, typical for retail products

If you think that, go have a look at wholesale prices on Alibaba.

 

[aednichols]

In for a Coastal Gray. My beloved woven nylon band is getting frayed, and besides I’m tired of it being damp all the time from all the coronavirus handwashing!

 

[Scottsdale]

Apple makes a killing off these bands. It probably cost them $1 to make one of these bands

The packaging probably costs more to engineer than the watch bands. I think a dollar per cost per band is stretching it. Maybe more like $0.25 per these cheap bands especially with low oil prices. Probably another $0.45 for packaging. So literally the shipping may be the highest cost of the whole product line!

 

[bluespark]

I think you’re right in that everyone forgets the upfront R&D, shipping, packaging, marketing, cost of returns etc., but I’d say the margins are much higher than that based in the price of the knock off bands all over Amazon and eBay etc.

Are there any knockoff bands made of fluoroelastomer? I'm not aware of any.

 

[19callum93]

Glad we have a gray option again.

I wish they would do a matching iPhone case too in the Coastal Grey colour 😩 Apple done this with the khaki band, no matching iPhone silicone case either. Both these colours I’d like to have on my iPhone.

 

[Brian Natwick]

Apple today updated its Sport Bands designed for the Apple Watch with new summer colors that include Seafoam, Vitamin C, Linen Blue, and Coastal Gray.

The new bands, which are priced at $49 each like other Sport Bands, can be purchased from Apple's online store and the bands should also be in Apple retail stores that are open in the near future. The bands are available in both 40 and 44mm size options.

Apple refreshes its Apple Watch band color options on a regular basis, renewing the available shades with each season. Often these refreshes come at events, and today's release comes just two weeks ahead of Apple's digital WWDC 2020 event.

Apple is continuing to offer the Sport Band in other colors that were made available earlier this year, and there appear to be no other band refreshes at this time.

Article Link: Apple Releases Apple Watch Sport Bands in New Summer Colors

Summer Colors?!! They happened so fast. SING ALONG!

 

[Complex757]

I thought I was seeing things. Glad it wasn't just me who noticed that these were very similar to prior versions.

I like the sea foam and Vitamin C, but I have Papaya.


so maybe sea foam?

 

[Shirasaki]

Where’s the woven nylon band? Too bad that I did not buy more colours back then. It’s impossible to get another one with as good quality as apple’s after getting some third party bands.

 

[CalMin]

Are there any knockoff bands made of fluoroelastomer? I'm not aware of any.

Probably not, but it's unlikely to be all that expensive at industrial scale.

 

[mech986]

Wow these colors are so lame. I'm sorry, but paying $50 for colors you don't necessarily love? And all third party manufacturers are prohibited by copyright from using the same material and design.

At a minimum Apple should make dozens of colors available, and only sell the watch in a handful of colors.

Apple currently has over 50 different combinations of colors, band types, and sizes that they offer. The Watch comes in aluminum space gray, silver and gold, and stainless steel space gray, silver and gold. 6 variations on Watch case style, a little more than a handful.
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I think you’re right in that everyone forgets the upfront R&D, shipping, packaging, marketing, cost of returns etc., but I’d say the margins are much higher than that based in the price of the knock off bands all over Amazon and eBay etc. Except for the R&D and presumably lower material and QC costs, the knock off bands sell in multipacks of 3-5 bands or more for under $20.

These are highly profitable items for Apple, especially when sold direct to consumer vs. a separate retail outlet. I’m not complaining about this (Tim Cook has to eat after all and no-one has to buy a watch band) I’m just saying that the margins are likely much higher than 20-25% typical retail price.

The knock offs are just that, knock offs. They probably cost $0.20 each (or less) to make, $0.05 to package, and sell for $10-$20. Appealing to budget or cost conscious users.

It’s entirely up to the maker/seller to set how much margin and profit they want, but since it’s a copy, very little cost for R&D, especially in materials. Plus I don’t suspect there’s much of a warranty unless they just send you out another $0.25 band.

 

[mikedis]

Are there any knockoff bands made of fluoroelastomer? I'm not aware of any.

There are a few companies that claim to make fluoroelastomer bands, but they’re more than likely just rebranded Chinese fakes.
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Where’s the woven nylon band? Too bad that I did not buy more colours back then. It’s impossible to get another one with as good quality as apple’s after getting some third party bands.

Woven nylon bands were discontinued a long time ago. I think you mean sport loops, and it doesn’t seem like there are any this time ‘round. A Vitamin C Sport Loop already exists, though.
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The packaging probably costs more to engineer than the watch bands. I think a dollar per cost per band is stretching it. Maybe more like $0.25 per these cheap bands especially with low oil prices. Probably another $0.45 for packaging. So literally the shipping may be the highest cost of the whole product line!

I have to disagree. Material costs alone are likely to be around $3-10 per band, maybe 50¢ for packaging, but overall Apple is also paying for R&D, tooling, manufacturing, shipping, supply chains, pigments, etc. All of that adds up, and at the end I’d guess Apple spends about $20-25 to produce one band. Of course that number varies drastically depending on the type of band. Not real numbers, just my estimates.
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Apple currently has over 50 different combinations of colors, band types, and sizes that they offer. The Watch comes in aluminum space gray, silver and gold, and stainless steel space gray, silver and gold. 6 variations on Watch case style, a little more than a handful.
[automerge]1591675543[/automerge]


The knock offs are just that, knock offs. They probably cost $0.20 each (or less) to make, $0.05 to package, and sell for $10-$20. Appealing to budget or cost conscious users.

It’s entirely up to the maker/seller to set how much margin and profit they want, but since it’s a copy, very little cost for R&D, especially in materials. Plus I don’t suspect there’s much of a warranty unless they just send you out another $0.25 band.

If you count discontinued colors, discontinued styles (RIP Woven Nylons ) and limited releases such as the Rio Olympics bands, there are well over 300 bands for the Apple Watch designed and manufactured by Apple and it’s partnering companies (Nike & Hermès)

Edit: There’s also the two titanium & ceramic variants in case material!

 

[aknabi]

Well just look at those magical bands... I mean do you need anymore proof that no one can out innovate Apple?? This alone should convince any non-bozo analyst to increase AAPL's target price to at least $450!
/s

 

[MacAddict1978]

Apple makes a killing off these bands. It probably cost them $1 to make one of these bands

I would bet less than a dollar.... the metal pins and clasp bolt and the most expensive part.

Who actually buys bands from Apple? I'm seriously asking. You can get a 3 or 5 pack online for $10 most of the time.
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There are a few companies that claim to make fluoroelastomer bands, but they’re more than likely just re-branded Chinese fakes.
[automerge]1591677343[/automerge]

Woven nylon bands were discontinued a long time ago. I think you mean sport loops, and it doesn’t seem like there are any this time ‘round. A Vitamin C Sport Loop already exists, though.
[automerge]1591677617[/automerge]

I have to disagree. Material costs alone are likely to be around $3-10 per band, maybe 50¢ for packaging, but overall Apple is also paying for R&D, tooling, manufacturing, shipping, supply chains, pigments, etc. All of that adds up, and at the end I’d guess Apple spends about $20-25 to produce one band. Of course that number varies drastically depending on the type of band. Not real numbers, just my estimates.
[automerge]1591677748[/automerge]

If you count discontinued colors, discontinued styles (RIP Woven Nylons ) and limited releases such as the Rio Olympics bands, there are well over 300 bands for the Apple Watch designed and manufactured by Apple and it’s partnering companies (Nike & Hermès)

Edit: There’s also the two titanium & ceramic variants in case material!

There really isn't any R&D costs at this point in a product life cycle for this type of thing. These bands don't have antimicrobial properties or anything that would drive the cost. In the earlier iterations of the Apple Watch, R&D on the mechanism to attach the bad might have been there, but not now.

We're talking about using existing molds on existing manufacturing lines and using a different color dye. Sliding the hex ring around on a computer screen isn't much R&D.

Analysts peg is around $2.05 for the total cost, but this is old data. These costs are easily halved. The only major cost incurred for the Series 5 would be new molds since the watch got slightly wider. Adding new colors is only a dye change.

But even if you were correct at you low end of $3, that is still a 93% profit margin.

Knock off bands are hit and miss... some great, some meh, but even wasting $10 on some meh brand and buying a good knock off nets you $20 and around 6 bands!

 

[mikedis]

I would bet less than a dollar.... the metal pins and clasp bolt and the most expensive part.

Who actually buys bands from Apple? I'm seriously asking. You can get a 3 or 5 pack online for $10 most of the time.
[automerge]1591708614[/automerge]



There really isn't any R&D costs at this point in a product life cycle for this type of thing. These bands don't have antimicrobial properties or anything that would drive the cost. In the earlier iterations of the Apple Watch, R&D on the mechanism to attach the bad might have been there, but not now.

We're talking about using existing molds on existing manufacturing lines and using a different color dye. Sliding the hex ring around on a computer screen isn't much R&D.

Analysts peg is around $2.05 for the total cost, but this is old data. These costs are easily halved. The only major cost incurred for the Series 5 would be new molds since the watch got slightly wider. Adding new colors is only a dye change.

But even if you were correct at you low end of $3, that is still a 93% profit margin.

Knock off bands are hit and miss... some great, some meh, but even wasting $10 on some meh brand and buying a good knock off nets you $20 and around 6 bands!

I have to agree with you that $49 is a very hefty price tag. That’s why I buy almost all of my bands used or open box on eBay. I have 75 now, and I paid nowhere near the $4,000+ price tag.

 

[iOS Geek]

In for a Coastal Gray. My beloved woven nylon band is getting frayed, and besides I’m tired of it being damp all the time from all the coronavirus handwashing!

Just finished ordering that color myself! I have a few of the brighter colors that have come out in the past, but I tend to lean more towards the darker ones. Coastal Gray was an easy sell to me 😂

Other than darker colors though, pretty much any of the blue shades are also a quick buy!