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Apple Steeply Discounts Link Bracelet and Milanese Loop for Employees
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Bought a link bracelet from Woot a few months ago. The box was quite beat up, probably from transit, but the band seemed to be genuine, so this seems a good deal for small-wristed folks. (My $0.02 on the product itself: the recessed butterfly closure is indeed much more comfortable than the classic protruding ones—which are plain idiotic—but the links accumulate scratches at a pace challenged only by the stainless Watch casing.)
I don’t think so. They updated the packaging to match the newer wider boxes some years ago. And somehow I have a hard time believing that Apple would still be clearing the stock manufactured before 2018. It’s more likely that they’d just dump the overstock and discontinue it entirely if that was the case.
A word of advice - get some steel wool. Costs like $5 a bag and does wonders to the brushed steel finish of the bracelet. I have used it several times myself to refurbish my own piece.
Potentially 10 years of being able to use the same strap that had came with the first Apple Watch is a long duration of support. A lot of other tech would not have this duration of compatibility with their accessories.
How generous of the big corporation to help itself clear inventory of overpriced, unpopular Watch bands that will be even harder to sell after Apple Watch S10 drops to give its faithful employees such a huge discount on such a high-value and sought-after product!
I'm sure Apple can find the capital to "innovate" some kind of "smart band" that enables certain health tracking features through the band and attaches magnetically to Apple Watch.
"Coincidentally" these new "smart bands" have a "Made For Apple Watch" chip inside that either disable all smart features if you try to use a non "MFAW" band or flat out push the band off using electromagnets or something like that.
10 years isn’t long enough. It’s bad enough that it’s so hard to change the batteries on these watches. Other companies being worse is… worse.
Apple's retail pricing is entirely disconnected from the cost of production. They charge what they want to charge to position their products as premium and luxury.
For what they pay their retail employees, compared to how much Apple nets, they should be giving everyone a free watchband.
The only nice thing about batteries inflating, is that it pops the watch open for you lol.
Having yesterday been told by my car that my key fob battery was low, I was very glad I could just grab a CR2032 out of the cupboard and pop it into the fob.
10 years in the tech world is a lifetime. Personally I think it's a very big ask to expect accessory support for a piece of tech for more than 10 years.
One thing I originally hoped Apple would do with the watch was to make the "movement" (electronics) separate from the "watch case" so that you could upgrade your watch's innards as technology progresses, while keeping the exterior the same.
This would have made the original gold Edition practical, because you would only have to buy it once and keep upgrading the innards. Apple could have even made this a service they have to do, similar to getting a mechanical watch serviced, and made money that way too.
But no, they made the watch itself a disposable commodity. At least you can keep the same band for multiple watch upgrades, so that's something.
The link bracelet has a complicated mechanism in each link that allows you to lengthen or shorten it without tools. Its also why it takes so long to make one.
This just in: Employees are reminded to complete the Apple Code of Conduct training by end of day April 5. Please note the south parking lot will be closed from May 5 through May 14 for resurfacing. The April cafeteria menu is now posted. Sorry for the delay. Also April nominations for Apple Props is open. Apple Prop winners will be announced the last Thursday of the month. March winners will receive their Starbucks Gift Card by email.
Apple is absolutely screwing people on watch band prices.
Not a single one of my bands was more than $15, and the $15 one is a cloned "Milanese Loop" band. The adjustable stretchy cloth ones (which I much prefer) were under $10. A clone "Link Bracelet" is about $25.
Only a looney would pay Apple prices for a watch band.
Of course you'll be able to - for about $10 for a 3-pack. That's what the current ones are going for.
Which will, fortunately, be reverse engineered in about two weeks, and all will be right with the clones again.
(I always intentionally buy Lightning cables that DO NOT have the MFI logo. They tend to be sturdier.)
I didn't like it at all... I loved the link bracelet with my SS watches in the past.. But once I tried it with the Ultra the color contrast really bothered me.. I ended up gifting it to my cousin since he bought a SS Series 9. I was hoping Apple would make a titanium link bracelet but doesn't seem like its in their plans... I ended up picking up the Nomad titanium band and I love it.
