Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
There are those options already from 3rd party manufacturers.

Yeah but most of them are cheap junk. The best metal band for the Apple Watch is hands down the link bracelet and I wish Apple would release something similar for the Ultra.
 
That ‘Fine Woven’ has started to remind me of recycled paper products. Is anyone feeling the same? 😬
Very much so. It looks like it could be the same type of material (cellulose and latex) used in those "washable paper" shopping bags sold at Trader Joe's in the United States. (I like those bags, but I'm not sure I'd want a watch band made from that material.)

trader_joes_washable_paper_gro_1677572364_2d7eae9f_progressive.jpg
 
The edges remind me of the edges of the iPad magic keyboard case - and those edges get beaten up and wavy pretty quick - guess we'll see
 
I have mixed feelings about this. I don't mind that they are offering something like this for those who are interested in it. I just wish they kept the leather options around for those who prefer those bands. I just don't see how this solves a problem without creating a different one.
 
It goes hand in hand. If nobody needed byproducts of animals, meat wouldnt be that (too) cheap. An dead animal dont care if its skin is used or not.
So the by-products would be better utilized be being tossed in the trash?
I’m pretty sure animals still suffer from those factories being built and operated, and products and raw materials being transported, etc. Please remain feeling guilty. ;)
Will do! Had some nice beef bulgogi and short ribs last night.... it was tasty! No guilt felt!
 
  • Like
Reactions: klasma and Tdude96
Yeah but most of them are cheap junk. The best metal band for the Apple Watch is hands down the link bracelet and I wish Apple would release something similar for the Ultra.
YMMV. I've had good experiences with them.
 
I really like having a vegan option.
I know, lots of people hate products that are free from animal suffers, but it's great for the rest of us
You option is fine if it’s at the expense of everyone that wants leather? Why not both? Cows don’t suffer. They take a quick bolt to the head and they’re killed instantly.

You obviously missed the word recycled.
Just like “green energy” recycled does not always mean better. A lot of resources are consumed to recycle some materials

If they are made from recycled materials then they are diverting plastics from the landfill and putting them to use.

Plus the material already exists so an animal doesn’t need to be raised, tortured and slaughtered along with all the environmental impact that has
There is a lot of processing required to recycle materials. It’s not like they just heat up old plastic milk jugs and toss in some food coloring.

Okay, can we meat eaters please quit perpetuating white lies like this?

I’m not advocating for going vegan. But I’m pretty sure every animal utilized in the food or clothing industry has suffered at some point, or at the very least lived a terrible life, with no access to open spaces, pumped with antibiotics, etc.

The various industries and corporations want as much leather as possible at the lowest possible price, and there’s no time or money to treat animals well.

I get that most people don’t care despite knowing this. We just want the finer things, preferably at a discount.

But can we please stop this kind of “we’re doing the animal a favor by using all of it, we’re really just helping it” kind of reasoning?

The cow was bred to get be processed into meat, leather, gelatin, etc. There’s nothing good about this for the cow, it’s entirely done for human interests with next to no regard for the well-being of the animal while it’s alive or being killed.
People are eating meat. They aren’t going to stop until forced by law. Use every bit of the animal Or else you are generating waste.
 
I have mixed feelings about this. I don't mind that they are offering something like this for those who are interested in it. I just wish they kept the leather options around for those who prefer those bands. I just don't see how this solves a problem without creating a different one.

What new problem is it creating?
 
But isn’t leather recycled waste?

That seems to be one of the most common arguments here in favour of using it
Leather isn't recycled if it's the first use afaik, but it can be repurposed and recycled to extend its usefulness (yes there is still a big environmental cost to it).

I'm on the fence when it comes to it personally, pleather/vegan leather/whatever it's called these days is oil-based and thus far from perfect or cleaner. It's also ironic how much we look into whether leather or synthetics is a cleaer solution when talking about electronic devices - which are really not environment-friendly at all in any way, but we have little alternatives to that.

Recycled nylon/polyester fibers could be an interesting alternative if the production chain is cleaner (aka hopefully it's not just more greenwashing).
 
I just want them to come out with a stainless steel or titanium band for the Ultra.
they already have. You realise of course the existing stainless steel bands from Apple will happily fit the Ultra....

... you just need to sell a kidney to afford one.
 
they already have. You realise of course the existing stainless steel bands from Apple will happily fit the Ultra....

... you just need to sell a kidney to afford one.

I have the link bracelet that Apple makes. It's not a good match for the darker material on the Ultra though.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: aParkerMusic
It goes hand in hand. If nobody needed byproducts of animals, meat wouldnt be that (too) cheap. A dead animal dont care if its skin is used or not.
If no one wanted leather goods, animals would still be killed for meat. That will never change in human history. People need to let go of that fantasy. Understanding that, it’s much more moral to use the animal to its full utility, rather than just unceremoniously dump most of it.

It’s funny, a common criticism I’d often heard while growing up about “American culture” vs “Native American culture” is how the latter would honor the animal by using as much of it’s host as possible when killing for food While the former would not be so thoughtful. Maybe that’s no longer a consideration. Let’s just dump the rest of the animal on the side of the road after we feast.
 
Looks exactly as the stuff that various packages have in it to protect the content.
How horribly ugly. In my worst fantasy I see this as recycled toilet paper.

But what do I care, I don’t have an Apple Watch either, they’re way too bulky for me. 😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: callen_v1
I have mixed feelings about this. I don't mind that they are offering something like this for those who are interested in it. I just wish they kept the leather options around for those who prefer those bands. I just don't see how this solves a problem without creating a different one.
It appears to be ceding the high end leather market. But there is a whole generation which basically has a fantasy about the world ending and they can make a difference so cheap junk that is blessed with magical thinking words like “sustainable” and “recycled” can become the high end because of emotional attachment. It’s just fashion. Fashion has no rationality to it. It’s about feelings and lots of people feel that “sustainable” products are worth a premium. Apple is ahead of the curve in the marketing here. They know where many Americans are headed particularly young people with money to burn. They would rather replace a “sustainable” band every 6 months forever because it gives them good feels. But that’s always been how fashion works
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.