The Leather Case for the iPhone 11 Pro Max was made from “specially tanned and finished European leather, so the outside feels soft to the touch and develops a natural patina over time.” The case included “machined aluminum buttons match the finish of your leather case, while a microfiber lining inside helps protect your iPhone.”
The iPhone 11 Pro Max allowed wireless charging using the Qi charging standard of the time. This leather case was designed to allow wireless charging to pass through the case. (However, the case did not include Apple’s built-in MageSafe wireless charging—it was released a year later along with the iPhone 12.)
This Apple-designed leather sleeve (part number MTEJ2ZM/A) is made for the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. Apple described the sleeve:
“The black Apple Leather Sleeve is designed for the Apple 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The sleeve is made of European leather with a soft microfiber lining.”
Apple adds that “The design of this sleeve allows you to charge your 15-inch MacBook while keeping it protected.”
On September 12, 2023, Apple announced that they would end “the use of leather across all of its product lines.” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, said: “At Apple, we have a longstanding and proven commitment to leading the fight against climate change. Our focus on renewable energy and low-carbon design has already driven industry-leading emissions reductions, and we’re not slowing down.”
The Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch band was released in 2020 along with the Apple Watch Series 6. The packaging describes this product as a “Textile Fitted Band.” According to Apple’s website:
“Each Braided Solo Loop features a unique, stretchable design that’s ultracomfortable and easy to slip on and off your wrist. Made from 100 percent recycled materials, the 16,000 polyester yarn filaments in each band are interwoven with thin silicone threads using advanced braiding machinery then laser cut to an exact length. The 300D construction offers a soft, textured feel and is both sweat-resistant and water-resistant.”
The color of this band is Abyss Blue, a shade of dark blue. It was available in 41mm and 45mm widths. The 41mm Braided Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 1–9, and the 45mm Braided Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 4–12.
According to Apple’s website, “This band comes in custom sizes because it’s designed for an ultracomfortable fit. An accurate measurement will help you get the size that’s right for you.” The website allowed buyers to download a PDF and cut out a “tool” that wrapped around the wrist to designate the band size needed.
This Smart Folio is designed for the iPad Generation 10. According to Apple:
“The Smart Folio for iPad 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.”
This Smart folio was released in four colors that complemented the iPad Generation 10. The Sky option matched the Blue iPad 10, the Watermelon option matched the Pink iPad 10, the Lemonade option matched the Yellow iPad 10, and the White option matched the Silver iPad 10.
This example (part number MQDU3ZM/A) is Sky, a shade of light blue.
The Smart Keyboard for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro was released along with the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on June 5, 2017. Apple press released noted:
“Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, available for purchase separately, bring breakthrough levels of precision and utility to iPad Pro. Advanced sensors in Apple Pencil measure both pressure and tilt for natural drawing, annotating and note-taking. A new full-sized Smart Keyboard has been custom designed for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, offering a thin yet durable keyboard that never needs to be charged or paired over Bluetooth and is easily foldable into a protective Smart Cover.”
This Smart Keyboard used strong magnets to attach to the side of the iPad pro, but offered no back protection for the device. When in use, the Smart Keyboard folded into a triangle that allowed the iPad to sit back at an angle to allow for comfortable typing.
A 9to5Mac review from July 2017 noted that: “The Smart Keyboard makes a living by being thin, unassuming, and easy to tuck away when it’s not in use. It’s basically a Smart Cover with a little bit of extra thickness that allows it to double as a keyboard.”
This unique item appears to be a bright orange zippered accessory case with a silver carabiner attached, but when opened it reveals a battery-powered portable speaker and a pocket for a music-playing device such as an iPod or iPhone.
The speaker is powered by 2 AAA batteries and has an ON/OFF switch. A wire with a standard stereo headphone plug extends from the speaker to connect to a device.
The case is bright orange and is printed with the Apple Distinguished Educator logo in white in the Apple Myriad font. Apple Myriad was Apple’s corporate font used approximately between 2003–2017.
Apple describes Apple Distinguished Educators as “the educators who are looking to change the world. They are active leaders from around the world helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac to make learning deeply personal for every student.”
I became an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2007. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the event where these speakers were offered, but an ADE friend of mine gave me this speaker for my collection.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max Clear Case was described by Apple as “Thin, light, and easy to grip” to show off “the brilliant colored finish of iPhone 15 Pro Max while providing extra protection.”
The case was made from “a blend of optically clear polycarbonate and flexible materials.” The sides of the case had a slightly more flexible feel, while the back was rigid. Apple touted that “all materials and coatings are optimized to prevent yellowing over time.” I have selected Apple’s clear polycarbonate cases since the iPhone 11 in 2019 and all are still essentially clear with almost no yellowing in over 5 years (as of this writing).
This case uses MagSafe as a design element on the back. The round Magsafe magnet is bright white and perfectly surrounds the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone. Below the circle is a capsule-shaped dash that allows chargers and accessories to align to the magnets in the system. Apple describes the iPhone version of MagSafe:
“With built-in magnets that align perfectly with iPhone 15 Pro Max, this case offers a 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.”
The AirTag Leather Key Ring was designed to contain an Apple AirTag, a small, disc-shaped accessory that uses Apple’s Find My network to easily locate items.
According to Apple:
“The leather key ring is thoughtfully crafted from the finest materials. The stainless steel is as striking as it is strong, while the European leather is specially tanned and soft to the touch. And it fits snugly over your AirTag, so you never have to worry about it falling out.”
When The AirTag was released, “a wide range of Apple-designed AirTag accessories” were also available. Accessories included: a Polyurethane Loop, a Leather Loop, and a Leather Key Ring. In addition, Apple and Hermès introduced the AirTag Hermès with an “assortment of handcrafted leather accessories including the Bag Charm, Key Ring, Travel Tag, and Luggage Tag.” The Hermès accessories were sold with a custom-engraved AirTag with the Hermès Clou de Selle logo.
The The AirTag Leather Key Ring was originally available in three colors including Baltic Blue, Saddle Brown, and (PRODUCT)RED. This example is in Saddle Brown.
The Milanese Loop was among Apple’s original Apple Watch band designs. In the press release in September 2014 announcing the original Apple Watch, Apple wrote: “Apple also created an entire range of watch straps [including] the Milanese Loop in a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh.” The original Milanese Loop was available only in silver, but has been offered in a total of five colors: Silver (Spring 2015), Space Black (Spring 2016), Graphite (Fall 2020), and two shades of Gold (Fall 2018, Fall 2020).
This example is the Generation 1 version of the Gold Stainless Steel Milanese Loop. (The Generation 2 version released in Fall 2020 had a slightly less red tone.)
Apple describes the Milanese Loop:
“A modern interpretation of a design developed in Milan at the end of the 19th century. Woven on specialized Italian machines, the smooth stainless steel mesh wraps fluidly around your wrist. And because it’s fully magnetic, the Milanese Loop is infinitely adjustable, ensuring a perfect fit.”
Apple specifies that the Milanese Loop is not water resistant and cautions that the band contains magnets that may cause interference with the Compass on the watch.
The 38/40/41mm version of the band band fit 130–180mm wrists, while the 42/44/45/49mm version fit 150–200mm wrists. Although this design and color was released in 2015, this Milanese Loop is dated 2019 on the packaging, and the product was still available on the Apple website as of March 2023 (for $99).
When Phil Schiller introduced the iPhone 11 at a special event on September 10, 2019, he described the device:
“iPhone 11 is the next generation of iPhone, packed with great new capabilities in an incredible design, including new Ultra Wide and Wide cameras for gorgeous videos and photos, the power and ease of use of iOS 13, and A13 Bionic—the fastest chip ever in a smartphone that quickly handles the tasks that matter most to people every day.”
The iPhone 11 was the first of Apple’s base model phones to include a dual-camera system. Apple described the cameras in a press release:
“iPhone 11 introduces a dual-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide and Wide cameras that are deeply integrated into iOS 13, offering the highest quality video in a smartphone and major advancements in photography for the ultimate camera experience.”
Compared to previous models, the camera system was a major leap forward for iPhone. The camera system had two 12MP cameras (Ultra Wide and Wide). The A13 chip allowed Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, and Portrait Lighting included six effects: Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono. Panorama mode allowed photos of up to 63MP. Videos could be recorded at up to 4K (at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps). Machine learning capabilities allowed Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) and continuous autofocus video.
iPhone 11 was available in six “stunning colors” including purple, green, yellow, black, white and PRODUCT(RED). This example is purple, a lighter shade of purple sometimes referred to as “lilac.”
This phone had a Liquid Retina HD display that measured 6.1‑inch (diagonal) display at 1792 x 828‑pixel resolution (326 ppi). The A13 Bionic chip allowed for “the best machine learning platform in a smartphone” at the time of its release. It used a 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, a 4-core GPU, and an 8-core Neural Engine.
The iPhone 11 was also the first base iPhone to lack a Home button. Its six sensors included Face ID, barometer, 3‑axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor.
The design of the iPhone 11 included rounded edges and the front and back were made of glass. Apple noted, “With a back design that is precision milled and sculpted from a single piece of glass, iPhone 11 features the toughest glass ever in a smartphone.”
This iPhone is shown in an iPhone 11 Clear Case. Apple described the case as “Thin, light, and easy to grip.” According to Apple’s website:
“Made from a blend of optically clear polycarbonate and flexible TPU materials, the iPhone 11 Clear Case provides a solid, comfortable feel. The back is designed to be sturdy, while the sides are made from a softer, more flexible material that fits right over the buttons for an improved grip. And when it’s time to wirelessly charge, just leave the case on and set your iPhone on your Qi-certified charger. On the surface, a scratch-resistant coating has been applied to both the interior and exterior. And all materials and coatings are optimized to prevent yellowing over time.”
