Is Click the answer to cheaper bands?

[Downs2011]

Hey everyone, i'm not sure if this has been addressed yet but I saw these on kickstarted and thought they seemed pretty cool. I honestly don't mind paying Apples price for their bands but it would be nice to have a few for play especially if we could use any 22mm band. Please check it out! I would love to hear what you guys and gals think!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...h-band-adapter-for-apple-watch?ref=nav_search

 

[technosix]

The Apple Watch is to be enjoyed... Just wear it. Dings and scratches give it unique character.

 

[dacreativeguy]

Hey everyone, i'm not sure if this has been addressed yet but I saw these on kickstarted and thought they seemed pretty cool. I honestly don't mind paying Apples price for their bands but it would be nice to have a few for play especially if we could use any 22mm band. Please check it out! I would love to hear what you guys and gals think!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...h-band-adapter-for-apple-watch?ref=nav_search

If you wait a couple months, there will more alternate choices of bands and adapters than you can comprehend. Wouldn't surprise me if the big manufacturers actually start shipping before the kickstarter guys, too. Remember, the kickstarter guys can't start selling an adapter until they get a watch in their possession to take accurate measurements.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Good idea and execution! Not sure what size my bands are though so for now I'll see what the market has to offer. Is 22mm standard for most male bands?

 

[twisted-pixel]

I have fallen out of love with kickstarter..and indiegogo too..after being burnt on a couple of projects.

Now I just wait until someone actually has product, and as has been said, their will be a raft of bands, adaptors and connectors available within a few months of the watch release.

By that time you'll know how the watch fits, what sort of band you really want to enhance the fit, and be in the best position to make a choice.

 

[Squid7085]

There doesn't seem to be any technical limitation to other making bands that fit the Apple Watch. Unless Apple has some kind of patent on the connector (likely) and will actually try to keep them off the market (We shall see) the market will be flooded with alternate bands from cheap $10 things from china all the way up to designer stuff in the thousand dollar range.

 

[whtrbt7]

Alligator watch band here I come
Now to hunt that baby seal and skin it for the ultimate watch band. I'm hoping that there is no Apple restriction on 3rd party bands. If they start banning the band click mechanism due to patents, it's going to limit their market for the product.

 

[MeFromHere]

There doesn't seem to be any technical limitation to other making bands that fit the Apple Watch. Unless Apple has some kind of patent on the connector (likely) and will actually try to keep them off the market (We shall see) the market will be flooded with alternate bands from cheap $10 things from china all the way up to designer stuff in the thousand dollar range.

Apple definitely has design patents on the shape of the band where it attaches to the watch.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20865641/

I haven't seen anyone mention a regular patent on the mechanism, but the design patents are probably enough to allow Apple to block unlicensed imitators. Except for imitators who are too small to notice, or who operate in countries that don't enface patent laws.

The Kickstarted organizers aren't risking their own money, so they may not be too worried about patent risks.