The Apple Watch Sport Loop band was woven from nylon thread to create a hook-and-loop closure. These bands were available for the 42 mm and 46 mm Apple Watch models (2024), and were offered in sizes to fit 130–200 mm wrists (38, 40, 41, 42 mm) and 145–220 mm wrists (42, 44, 46, 49 mm).
Beginning with the Apple Watch 10 iteration, the 42 mm description became arguably more confusing, as the larger model of the original Apple Watch (Series 0 and 1) was described as “42 mm,” and now the smaller model of the current Apple Watch (Series 10) is described as “42 mm.”
Beginning in Fall 2024, Apple began offering bands in the monotone colors—a design concept first available nearly 10 years ago with the original Apple Watch. This “Ultramarine” color is a shade of blue with a hint of violet. The connector and closure plastics also matched the Ultramarine color of the band (as opposed to using contrasting colors for the plastics).
Apple also began describing this band as “Carbon Neutral” and including a description of the environmental benefits along with the general product description:
“Soft, breathable, and lightweight, the Sport Loop features a hook-and-loop fastener for quick and easy adjustment. The double-layer nylon weave has dense loops on the skin side that provide soft cushioning while allowing moisture to escape. This weave is made with 82% recycled yarns, some of which contain material from discarded fishing nets. This band is carbon neutral. The Sport Loop contains 45% recycled content by weight, 100% of manufacturing electricity is covered by clean energy, and 50% or more of all carbon neutral Apple Watch products are shipped without airplanes.”
The iPhone 16 Pro Silicone Case was “Designed by Apple to complement iPhone 16 Pro, the Silicone Case with MagSafe is a delightful way to protect your iPhone. Made with a 55 percent recycled silicone material, the case has a silky, soft-touch finish on the exterior that feels great in your hand. And on the inside, there’s a soft microfiber lining for even more protection.”
The case also included MagSafe magnets that extended the functionality of MagSafe built into the iPhone through the case. Apple described the functionality:
“With built-in magnets that align perfectly with iPhone 16 Pro, 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 Qi2 or Qi-certified charger.”
Apple named the color of this case “Ultramarine,” one of my favorite colors released by Apple so far. The color is a shade of blue with a hint of violet. Other Fall 2024 Apple accessories in Ultramarine include an iPhone 16 Silicone Case with MagSafe, a Sport Loop for Apple Watch, and a Solo Loop for Apple Watch.
These pens were made of metal with a black satin finish. They retracted by twisting the barrel. Near the clip, they featured an Apple logo and the words Education Community in metallic gold. The logotype was printed in Apple’s San Francisco corporate font, used since 2015.
The end of the pen featured a black stylus tip that can be used to tap or write on a touchscreen such as an iPad or iPhone.
The weight of the pen conveyed a feeling of quality, and it measured approximately 5.75 inches long.
This vinyl sticker is custom-die cut in the shape of a cartoon-syle “thought bubble” printed with the words Apple Education Community. The text is printed in three colors (orange, blue, and violet). The sticker is on a white background with a primary accent and outline color of blue. The font used is a bold version of San Francisco, Apple’s corporate font since 2015.
The design also includes hand-drawn stylized versions of various icons used on the Apple Education site and a QR code. When scanned, the QR code leads to the URL education.apple.com.
These stickers were available at educational technology conferences and distributed in person by Apple Education Leadership Executives.
The custom die-cut sticker measures approximately 4.5 x 3 inches.
This vinyl sticker is printed with the words Apple ♥️s Educators. The text is printed in a multi-color-gradient color spectrum (purple, dark pink, orange, gold, green, teal) and the ♥️ symbol is red with a white QR code. The font used is a bold version of San Francisco, Apple’s corporate font since 2015.
This black mug features a stylized rainbow logo in colors reminiscent of Apple’s original six-color logo and the words “US Education Sales” printed in white in the Apple Garamond font, Apple’s corporate font from 1984–2003.
The mug was sent to Apple Employees who were part of the United States Apple Education Sales team in 2024.
The iPhone 16 Pro Clear Case was released along with the iPhone 16 lineup in September 2024. Apple described the case as “Thin, light, and easy to grip — this Apple-designed case shows off the brilliant colored finish of iPhone 16 Pro while providing extra protection.”
Like the previous versions of Apple’s clear cases, this case uses multiple materials that are molded together to provide protection, grip, and access to buttons, using “a blend of optically clear polycarbonate and flexible materials.”
In addition, this case adds a new button that works “seamlessly with Camera Control. It features a sapphire crystal, coupled to a conductive layer to communicate finger movements to the Camera Control.” Camera Control was a new feature introduced with the iPhone 16 lineup that added one-button access to the camera and its controls using a touch-sensitive side-button. On the Clear Case, the Camera Control button is white (not clear) and made of a conductive material to allow full functionality of the iPhone button.
Like its predecessors, this case has “built-in magnets that align perfectly with iPhone…[offering] 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.”
Apple also mentions that “all materials and coatings are optimized to prevent yellowing over time,” a claim that, in my experience, has stood the test of time. I first purchased Apple’s Clear Case with my iPhone 11 in September 2019 and it, along with the iPhone 12–15 cases, shows very little evidence of yellowing.
Apple announced the iPhone 16 lineup on September 9, 2024, and the phones were released on Friday, September 20, 2024. In a press release, Apple described the iPhone 16 Pro models:
“Powered by the A18 Pro chip and built for Apple Intelligence, the Pro lineup introduces larger display sizes, Camera Control, innovative pro camera features, and a huge leap in battery life.”
The iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and also the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Max were marketed specifically as “featuring Apple Intelligence.” However, no Apple Intelligence features were available at launch, and no release was was shared. Apple Intelligence, Apple’s name for Artificial Intelligence, was described as different than other versions of AI because it “harnesses the power of Apple silicon and Apple-built generative models to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks.” Further, Apple Intelligence “maintains the privacy and security of user data with Private Cloud Compute.”
The iPhone 16 Pro (and Pro Max) models were made from titanium with four available finishes: black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium. The Pro iPhone options offered no colors, just “finishes.” This example is black titanium.
The iPhone 16 Pro featured a 48MP Fusion camera that could record 4K video at 120 fps. The camera was further enhanced with “a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera for higher-resolution photography, including macro; a 5x Telephoto camera on both Pro models; and studio-quality mics to record more true-to-life audio.”
Apple also touted the bezel of the iPhone 16 Pro by saying it had, “the thinnest borders of any Apple product” with sizes including a 6.3 inch display on iPhone 16 Pro and a 6.9 inch display on iPhone 16 Pro Max (“the largest iPhone display ever”). The display on the iPhone 16 Pro was described as the Super Retina XDR display and had 2622 x 1206 pixel resolution at 460 ppi. It used Apple’s “latest-generation Ceramic Shield material that’s two times tougher than any smartphone glass.”
The iPhone 16 line introduced a new Camera Control button on the lower-right side. When turned sideways, the button was positioned in the traditional location of a camera capture button. Pressing the Camera Control button gave immediate access to the camera, and sliding your finger across the surface of the button allowed access to “functions like exposure or depth of field, and toggle through each lens or use digital zoom to frame your shot.” At release, the “two-stage shutter that lets you automatically lock focus and exposure with a light press” was not yet available, but was announced as coming “later this year.”
In addition to advanced camera and video capture, a new Audio Mix technology was also included with three settings that allowed for adjusting the way voices were recorded. According to Apple’s description:
In-frame—Only captures the voices of the people on camera, even if people off-camera are talking during the recording.
Studio—Makes voices sound like you’re recording in a professional studio equipped with sound-dampening walls.
Cinematic—Captures all of the voices around you and consolidates them toward the front of the screen — just like sound is formatted for the movies.
The iPhone 16 Pro measured 5.89 inches high, 2.81 inches wide, and 0.32 inch thick. It weighed 7.03 ounces. All iPhone 16 models used a form of the A18 chip—a major bump from the A16 chip used in the iPhone 15, and an increase from the A17 Pro chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro. Notably, Apple never released an A17 chip (only anA17 Pro)—they apparently skipped it in favor of using A18 generation chips in the iPhone 16 models to power their yet-to-be-delivered-at-launch Apple Intelligence features.
Although the Apple Watch Series 10 was the most significant update to the Apple Watch to date, the design changes were not radical, and the new features were more aptly described as evolutionary—not revolutionary. That being said, the Series 10 was arguably the most elegant Apple Watch design so far. Apple described the Series 10 in a press release:
“The world’s bestselling watch is thinner than ever, featuring the biggest, most advanced display yet; sleep apnea notifications; faster charging; and water depth and temperature sensing.”
The most striking features of the Series 10 included the display and its relative thinness. The display was 46 mm (with a 42 mm option also available), and was reported to be up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle. Compared to the Series 9, the size was just 1 mm larger, but notably, the larger Series 10 model was just 3 mm smaller than the Apple Watch Ultra (49 mm), and the smaller option at 42 mm was the same size as the larger option of the original Apple Watch (Series 0). At the same time, the 46 mm Series 10 had a larger screen—416 x 496 pixels, 1220 square mm display area—than the 49 mm Apple Watch Ultra 2—410 x 502 pixels, 1185 square mm display area. The Series 9, by contrast was 396 x 484 pixels with a 1143 square mm display area.
The thinness of the Series 10 was noticeable, even though it was only 1 mm thinner overall. The 45 mm Series 9 was 10.7 mm thick, while the 46 mm Series 10 is 9.7 mm; however, the Series 10 rounded-rectangle case was thinner with thickness of the round sensor accounting for the measurement. The Apple Watch Series 10 was also 2.3 grams lighter than the Series 9 (46 mm aluminum GPS model).
Regarding finishes, the Series 10 dropped the Stainless Steel option and replaced it with a lighter Titanium option in three colors: slate, gold, and natural titanium. The Aluminum models included the classic silver color, brought back a rose gold option, and introduced a new “Jet Black Aluminum” option that matched the previous glossy sheen of the black stainless steel models at a nearly $400 lower cost and reduced weight.
The Series 10 added some water features similar to the Apple Watch Ultra line, including a water temperature sensor; a depth gauge and app; and support for the Oceanic+ app for snorkeling.
The Series 10 added two new audio-related features. First, the new media playback feature added an enhanced speaker so users could listen to music and podcasts directly through the speaker on the Watch. Second, a new microphone added voice isolation for using the speakerphone and voice recording features.
Finally, I would like to note that the first generation (sometimes called the Series 0) of the Apple Watch was released nearly 10 years before the Series 10 (April 24, 2015), and the Series 10 will likely be the “current” available model at the 10-year mark. Thus, the Series 10 can represent 10-year anniversary of the product line. Since Apple offers an easy way to compare their different Watch models, here are some highlights to show how far the Apple Watch has come in nearly 10 years:
Size—Original: 42 mm and 38 mm; Series 10: 46 mm and 42 mm (the smallest available option now matches the size of the largest original Apple Watch)
Screen brightness—Original: 450 nits; Series 10: 2000 nits (Series 10 is over 300% brighter than the original Apple Watch)
Heart health notifications—Original: High/low heart rate notifications; Series 10: High/low heart rate notifications, ECG, Low cardio fitness notifications
Water resistance—Original: Splash resistant; Series 10: Water resistant to 50 m, depth gauge to 6 m, water temperature sensor
Battery—Original: Up to 18 hours; Series 10: Up to 36 hours in low-power mode (twice the battery life)
Finishes—Original: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, 18K Gold; Series 10: Aluminum, Titanium (the $10,000 and $12,000 Edition models were dropped after the original “Series 0” Watch)
Weight—Original: 42 mm 30 g; Series 10: 46 mm 36.4 g (Series 10 is 21% heavier)
Thickness—Original: 42 mm 10.5 mm; Series 10: 46 mm 9.7 mm (Series 10 is 8% thinner)
Screen size—Original: 42 mm 312 x 390 pixels, 740 square mm; Series 10: 46 mm 416 x 496 pixels, 1220 square mm (the Series 10 screen is 65% larger)
Number features—Original: 13 features; Series 10: 36 features (although this metric is subjective, many of the features listed by Apple include multiple points)
