Apple Launches Black Unity Sport Loop With Matching Apple Watch Face and iPhone Wallpaper

[MacRumors]

Apple today released a new, special-edition Black Unity Sport Loop Apple Watch band in celebration of Black History Month.

The band comes as part of Apple's wider commemoration of Black History Month, where the company plans to highlight curated content celebrating Black culture and community.

The Black Unity Sport Loop features the word "Unity" woven abstractly into the band using red, green, and black yarns that pay homage to the Pan-African flag, while a unique layering of yarns lends a sense of three-dimensionality to the letters. Additionally, the Unity Mosaic watch face incorporates geometric shapes in green, black, red, and yellow, and as the minutes change, each number uses pieces of other numbers to morph into new forms. iPhone users can also show their support with the new Unity wallpaper for their Lock Screen.

The Black Unity Sport Loop is now available to order on apple.com and in the Apple Store app for $49, and will be available in select Apple Store locations beginning January 24. The band is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes.

The Unity 2023 watch face and Unity iPhone wallpaper will be available next week as part of watchOS 9.3 and iOS 16.3.

In the coming weeks, Apple will roll out new content in the App Store, Apple TV app, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, and Apple Maps to spotlight black creativity, contributions, and experiences.

Article Link: Apple Launches Black Unity Sport Loop With Matching Apple Watch Face and iPhone Wallpaper

 

[BellSystem]

The colors are a bit drab. Should have done a few various designs with various colors.

 

[Kylo83]

Here we go again

 

[Shasterball]

I wouldn't call starting to offer a band for a watch a "launch."

 

[Kylo83]

I wish apple would just stop with identity politics

 

[thadoggfather]

^ The promo MBP video with that design company was… interesting

 

[Kylo83]

^ The promo MBP video with that design company was… interesting

Yeah I noticed that apple say they are all about diversity but at the same time only put one group of people in promo videos

 

[BorisDG]

Is the watchface selectable for everybody? Update?

 

[antiprotest]

I wish apple would just stop with identity politics

Apple, like many other businesses, monetizes popular virtue, and many people are willing to pay for it, either because they believe in it or because it makes them feel better about themselves. And those who oppose this would not usually boycott a company for this reason. So it makes sense from a profit perspective.

 

[thadoggfather]

I think Xi is saying: crank up the woke in the West. Needs more woke cowbells.

 

[contacos]

I thought this was a military camouflage before reading the article at first and was like REALLY awful timing with the war in Ukraine

 

[DFZD]

Imagine getting hurt by a harmless branding exercise.

 

[XXPP]

The colors are a bit drab. Should have done a few various designs with various colors.

Europe Unity? Asia Unity?

 

[DFZD]

The colors are a bit drab. Should have done a few various designs with various colors.

I'm more bothered about the watch and phone showing different time.

 

[DFZD]

Europe Unity? Asia Unity?

You forgot Artic Unity?

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

I wish apple would just stop with identity politics

This is for me the reason that I don’t buy these kind of watch bands. I want to buy a band that matches my mood and my style. I don’t want to be associated with some form of activism or identity politics. Sorry, not sorry.

 

[thadoggfather]

the Black Unity sport band and the Pride braided loop are much cooler, if one were going with identity Bands.

 

[DFZD]

This is for me the reason that I don’t buy these kind of watch bands. I want to buy a band that matches my mood and my style. I don’t want to be associated with some form of activism or identity politics. Sorry, not sorry.

Is Captain America also a form of identity politics.. just curious..

 

[Kylo83]

Where’s Jewish history month and bands

 

[Marbles1]

I get that this is mostly a USA-centric thing but Apple also pushes this globally, e.g. a big thing in the App Store with black content creators and adverts for 'an amazing calendar app by an African American developer!' And this is done in App Stores around the world, who have nothing like the kind of racialised history of the USA. Estonians, Indians and Saudis being told they need to amplify the dev skills of African Americans.

... But the African unity band does look cool

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I wouldn't call starting go to offer a band for a watch a "launch."

Cook was observed running around Apple campus throwing bands in the air, while screaming "WE THINK YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!!"

 

[aka777]

Apple, like many other businesses, monetizes popular virtue, and many people are willing to pay for it, either because they believe in it or because it makes them feel better about themselves. And those who oppose this would not usually boycott a company for this reason. So it makes sense from a profit perspective.

It's always comical to see the stock pile of unsold merchandise like this at various retailers be cleared at a significant discount and eventually be thrown away, at the end of these ironically divisive anyone-but-you months.

Beyond virtue signaling and lip service, if any tech company actually wanted to help and acknowledge the community, instead of employing an army of workers from developing countries, they'd be investing in jobs and training locally.

 

[JMStearnsX2]

Where’s Jewish history month and bands

There's no money in that

 

[bigjnyc]

This is for me the reason that I don’t buy these kind of watch bands. I want to buy a band that matches my mood and my style. I don’t want to be associated with some form of activism or identity politics. Sorry, not sorry.

Just continue to not buy it and thats it.. Apple makes plenty of other products in plain white or silver that may be more to your liking.

 

[purplerainpurplerain]

It’s very sad to see some members are so racist and insecure about themselves that they forget that black people buy Apple products too. If they think this is “virtue signalling” they’re such lost souls.