The Apple Watch Sport Band is made from a flexible rubber material called fluoroelastomer with a metal pin closure. Sizes range from S/M, M/L, or L/XL. When purchasing an Apple Watch Sport Band, the S/M and M/L sizes are included in the box, allowing the band to fit wrists 140–210 mm.
Apple describes the Apple Watch Sport band:
“Made from a custom high-performance fluoroelastomer, the Sport Band is durable and strong, yet surprisingly soft. The smooth, dense material drapes elegantly across your wrist and feels comfortable next to your skin. An innovative pin-and-tuck closure ensures a clean fit.”
The Apple Watch Sport band has been available in the most colors so far. As of November 2021, 110 Apple Sport Band colors were available with an additional 36 Nike Sport Band colors (according to the Bandbreite app).
This example comes with S/M and M/L sizes for the 38 mm Apple Watch that is also compatible with 40mm and 41mm sizes.
On October 18, 2021, Apple introduced HomePod mini in three new colors: yellow, orange, and blue. The three new colors joined the two original colors of white and space gray. Apple describes the HomePod mini as:
“Jam-packed with innovation, HomePod mini delivers unexpectedly big sound for a speaker of its size. At just 3.3 inches tall, it takes up almost no space but fills the entire room with rich 360-degree audio that sounds amazing from every angle. Add more than one HomePod mini for truly expansive sound.”
In addition to adding bold color to the exterior mesh fabric, Apple also color-matched the touch surface, volume icons, and woven power cable.
The technology built in to the HomePod mini is described by Apple:
“HomePod mini uses computational audio to provide a rich and detailed acoustic experience and deliver peak performance. To achieve big sound out of such a compact design, the Apple S5 chip runs advanced software to analyze the unique characteristics of the music. It also applies complex tuning models to optimize loudness, adjust the dynamic range, and control the movement of the driver and passive radiators, all in real time. HomePod mini’s full-range driver, premium neodymium magnet, and pair of force-cancelling passive radiators enable it to produce deep bass and crisp high frequencies.”
On October 18, 2021, Apple held an online “Unleashed” event where they introduced a “new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro or M1 Max chip, all-new AirPods, and HomePod mini in five bold colors.” On the same day, Apple quietly released an “official” Polishing Cloth as an accessory that was available on the website for $19.
Apple describes the product:
“Made with soft, nonabrasive material, the Polishing Cloth cleans any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively.”
In addition to the product description, Apple provided a long list of models under the Compatibility header including iPhone models back to the iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad models back to the iPad mini (1st generation), Mac models back to iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 – 2015), all Apple Watch models back Apple Watch 1st generation, iPod models back to iPod shuffle (4th generation), and the Display model Pro Display XDR.
Originally, this Polishing Cloth was included only with the Pro Display XDR that was sold with Standard glass for $4,999 or Nano-texture glass for $5,999.
Apple specified on its support website, “If your Apple Pro Display XDR has nano-texture glass, clean it using only the included polishing cloth.” On the interior of the package, an included cardboard insert explains that the cloth is “Safe for use on all Apple displays and surfaces. For infrequent cleaning of hard-to-remove smudges on nano-texture glass, a 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution may be used.”
Soon after the Polishing Cloth was posted on Apple’s site, various tech bloggers began writing tongue-in-cheek articles about the $19 cloth. The articles included reviews, announcements, and even a “tear-down” from the website iFixIt. Some example articles included:
The original blogger who “broke” the story on October 19, 2021, (at 9:55AM) was Victoria Song on Engadget: Apple Wants You to Pay How Much for a Polishing Cloth?! Two weeks later, she proclaimed in a follow-up article, “The Apple Polishing Cloth Is Everything Wrong With Society” where she acknowledged “It was a fun bit, but like many things, it spiraled out of control.”
My testing reveals that this Polishing Cloth functions as described.
This iPad Smart Folio was released in Electric Orange along with the Generation 3, 11-inch iPad Pro. This folio was also compatible with the Generation 1 and 2 11-inch iPad Pro models. Apple describes the Smart Folio for iPad Pro:
“The Smart Folio for iPad Pro is thin and light and offers front and back protection for your device. It automatically wakes your iPad when opened and puts it to sleep when closed. The Smart Folio attaches magnetically, and you can easily fold it into different positions to create a stand for reading, viewing, typing, or making FaceTime calls.”
In addition to black and white, this version of the Smart Folio for iPad Pro was also available in English Lavender, Dark Navy, Mallard Green, and this color called Electric Orange.
Unlike previous Smart Cover models for iPad, this Smart Folio offers front and back protection using the iPad Pro internal magnets. The front cover folds to allow two different angles, and also folds with the magnets to allow a completely flat position.
Finally, since this iPad is compatible with the Apple Pencil Generation 2, the Smart Folio allows the Apple Pencil to magnetically attach to the side of the iPad for storage and charging.
The iPhone 13 Pro Clear Case with MagSafe was designed for the iPhone 13 Pro to provide a case that was “Thin, light, and easy to grip…” and to highlight the “brilliant colored finish of iPhone 13 Pro while providing extra protection.” Although the case had no seams, it used a “combination of materials including optically clear polycarbonate and flexible materials.”
The built-in MagSafe allowed the iPhone’s MagSafe capabilities to extend through the case and function optimally with charging and accessories. Apple described the experience as:
“…magical attach experience and faster wireless charging, every time. When it’s time to charge, just leave the case on your iPhone and snap on your MagSafe charger, or set it on your Qi-certified charger.”
This example here is shown along with the iPhone 13 Pro in Sierra Blue.
These wireless headphones are branded as Beats. The company Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats) describes itself as a “leading audio brand founded in 2006 by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine…Beats was acquired by Apple Inc. in July 2014.”
The headphones offer up to 12 hours of playback and the magnet is designed to keep “Beats Flex tangle-free as they easily coil up into your pocket or purse.” The audio technology is described on the Apple website:
“Beats Flex employs a dual-chamber acoustic design and a proprietary layered driver to achieve outstanding stereo separation with rich and precise bass response. Laser cut micro-venting provides ear pressure relief, and the optimized driver angle ensures clear, crisp sound. An advanced digital processor fine-tunes your audio for an accurate and emotive listening experience.”
The headphones use a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and include eartips with four size options. They were available in Flame Blue, Beat Black, Smoke Gray, and the Yuzu Yellow color of this set.
The Nike Sport Loop band was woven from nylon thread to create a hook-and-loop closure. These bands were available for the 41mm and 45mm Apple Watch models, and were offered in sizes to fit 130–200mm wrists and 145–220mm wrists . The bands also fit older Apple Watch sizes of 38mm/42mm and 40mm/44mm.
This Black band used a base color of black (it could also be called dark gray) and had the word NIKE woven into the design around the outer band and the NIKE “swoosh” on the part of the band with the hook-and-loop closure on the back. The connector plastics were black to match the base color of the band.
Apple described the Nike Sport Loop band:
“Breathable and lightweight, the Nike Sport Loop is designed for fitness. It’s made from a soft nylon weave featuring the iconic Nike swoosh. A hook-and-loop fastener makes for quick and easy adjustment, and dense loops on the skin side provide soft cushioning while allowing moisture to escape. On the reverse side, the attachment loops are securely anchored for superior durability.”
The Apple Watch Sport Band was made from a flexible rubber material called fluoroelastomer with a metal pin closure. Sizes ranged from S/M, M/L, or L/XL. When purchasing an Apple Watch Sport Band, the S/M and M/L sizes are included in the box, allowing the band to fit wrists 140–210 mm.
Apple described the Apple Watch Sport band:
“Made from a custom high-performance fluoroelastomer, the Sport Band is durable and strong, yet surprisingly soft. The smooth, dense material drapes elegantly across your wrist and feels comfortable next to your skin. An innovative pin-and-tuck closure ensures a clean fit.”
This version of the Midnight Blue (Generation 1) Apple Watch Sport Band includes a gold pin to match the gold Apple Watch models of the time. Alternate versions of the band had a silver and a rose gold pin.
This band did not come in Apple’s retail packaging. It was purchased from a website that sold Apple replacement parts and used Apple’s OEM packaging.
This set of “Special Tools and Fixtures” are Apple repair components custom-designed to fix the Mac Pro (Late 2013). The parts are named and described in an Apple repair document. According to the document, the parts are named:
Core Cradle (made from a large block of black foam)
Core End Caps (2 identical parts made from clear acrylic)
CPU Riser Cover (made from ITW Formex)
Roof Alignment Fixture (made from a ring of black foam)
I/O Wall Stand (made from a small block of black foam)
Foam block (a small square block of black foam)
The parts are used in the following ways:
The two Core End Caps are inserted into the Core Cradle to support the Mac Pro core assembly, the triangular core of the computer. For some repairs, the Core Cradle is used without the Core End Caps.
The CPU Riser Cover is used as a protective spacer when performing certain repairs (e.g., installation of the I/O and power supply assembly).
The guide specifies that the Roof Alignment Fixture is necessary when servicing the logic board, inlet, and the roof of the Mac Pro core.
When the outer case is removed, Apple recommends laying computer on its side while removing and inserting DIMMs. Using the I/O Wall Stand keeps the inside of the Mac Pro from rocking.
The Foam Block is used when tilting the core assembly into the exhaust assembly or removing other parts of the core assembly (e.g., I/O and power supply assembly) to allow the parts to rest and preventing strain on cables.
Coincidentally, the company that made the Formex material of the CPU Riser Cover is ITW, Illinois Tool Works, based in Glenview, Illinois—a Chicago suburb close to where I live.
These sets of Apple stickers are in original packaging and feature large stickers on a white backing measuring 4.25 x 3.5 inches and small stickers on a white backing measuring 1.75 x 2.25 inches.
The stickers use the Motter Tekura font and feature the 6-color Apple logo. Between 1977 and approximately 1984, Apple used the font Motter Tekura in their logo in all lowercase type. Several sources verify that these stickers were included in the packaging of the original Macintosh, the Macintosh 128k, and the Macintosh 512k, despite the fact that the original Macintosh devices used the Apple Garamond font printed on the case.
The odd look of the stickers is due to the “bleed” of the ink off the outer edges. When peeled off the sticker, the logos have the typical logo shape and the extra color that “bleeds” off the edges is left on the backing.
The stickers also include the helpful direction in all caps to “BEND PACK AND PEEL” to release the sticker.
