Holiday Gift Wrap Designed by Rex Ray (beige design, bright colors design, 2002)

These two gift wrap designs were created for Apple by artist Rex Ray, born September 11, 1956, and died February 9, 2015. He was an “American artist best known for his innovative pop aesthetic in fine and commercial art—on canvases, wood panels, album covers, paper, book jackets, murals, and rock and roll posters.”

The label on the rolls of gift wrap were bright green with white text in the Apple Myriad font and matched Apple’s product packaging at the time. The label included a black-and-white headshot of Rex Ray, and the product description:

“Designed by Rex Ray, this festive wrapping paper was created exclusively for Apple to celebrate the holidays. Rex Ray’s art can be found on book and CD covers, posters, carpets, a Swatch watch, and now the Apple holiday paper. Born in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Ray now makes his home in San Francisco where he has lived for the past 20 years.”

Although the two designs are not named, the beige/brown design has the product number T5817LL/A, and the bright colored design has the product number T5818LL/A. 

As a collector, I had no idea this product existed until it appeared on a local Facebook Marketplace post. I had to research it to make sure it was an actual Apple product and found it not only to be legitimate, but Apple had also made a magnetic poetry set with the beige/brown border design the same year (that I also found and acquired on eBay). 

The woman from whom I purchased the gift wrap told me she had purchased all the rolls in stock at an Apple Store in 2002 (presumably Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL—the only Apple Store in the Chicago area at the time). We negotiated a price, and I purchased all of 29 rolls she had. 

Source: Rex Ray Studio

Apple Watch Sizing Guide (2025)

Beginning in 2020 Apple began offering Apple Watch band designs that were specifically sized to wrists. These bands included the Apple Watch Solo Loop and the Apple Watch Braided Solo Loop. These Apple Watch bands were available in sizes 1–12.

In order to allow individuals to determine their Apple Watch Band size, Apple provided three methods:

  • Printable Tool (online PDF)
  • Everyday items (using a “tailor’s measuring tape” or a narrow strip of paper)
  • Sizing Tool (in-store paper tool)

The first 2 options were available online. After measuring your wrist, Apple provided an online converter that allowed users to enter their wrist size to a maximum of 10 15/16 inch (although the Solo Loop only fit wrists to a maximum of 8 2/16 inches).

This third Sizing Tool option was available to Apple Store Customers. The tool includes the directions on the outer package, instructing individuals using diagrams to open the package, peel back an adhesive dot, wrap the tool around the wrist, and determine the band size based upon the location of arrows printed on the Sizing Tool.

This example is unopened and was obtained at the Deer Park (IL) Apple Store in December 2025.

Source: Apple (Solo Loop, Sizing Guide)

Hello Screen T-Shirt (black shirt, multicolor print, 2XL, 2023)

This black T-shirt featured a 4-bit version of the original Macintosh with the cursive “hello” screen design from the Macintosh release in 1984.

This shirt was purchased at the Apple Store at the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, CA. The shirt is a size 2XL and unopened in its original box. The white box is printed with a white Apple logo and measured 195mm x 195mm x 35mm. The box indicated that the shirt was 100% cotton and made in Turkey (Türkiye).

Macintosh Drawing T-Shirt (black shirt, multicolor print, 2XL, 2023)

This white T-shirt featured the original Macintosh “Picasso” logo that was used on the box and other packaging for the original Macintosh in 1984.

I found it curious that Apple referred to this design as “Macintosh Drawing” and not “Picasso”—as Apple fans have referred to it for decades. However, research for this post may reveal the reason.

According to a Cult of Mac article, “The logo was designed by Tom Hughes and John Casado, art directors on the Macintosh development team.” The article indicates that one of the art directors reported that “the inspiration for the drawing style was Matisse….The idea of the graphics being ‘Picasso style’ was, as I remember, a journalist’s description at the time of the launch.”

This shirt was purchased at the Apple Store at the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, CA. The shirt was a size 2XL and unopened in its original box. The white box was printed with a white Apple logo and measured 195mm x 195mm x 35mm. The box indicated that the shirt was 100% cotton and made in Turkey (Türkiye).

Source: Cult of Mac

Apple Camp #todayatapple T-Shirt (bright green with orange printing, 2XL, 2022)

Beginning in the 2010s, Apple Stores began hosting “Apple Camp” events for school-aged children. In 2017, Apple Stores began hosting Today at Apple (#todayatapple) events and continued the Apple Camp idea as a part of this program. Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of retail at that time, said:

“‘Today at Apple’ is one of the ways we’re evolving our experience to better serve local customers and entrepreneurs. We’re creating a modern-day town square, where everyone is welcome in a space where the best of Apple comes together to connect with one another, discover a new passion, or take their skill to the next level. We think it will be a fun and enlightening experience for everyone who joins.”

Apple Camp events were taught by Creative Pros, Apple’s “liberal arts equivalent” to its technical Geniuses. As of 2024, Apple’s website has a single mention of Apple Camp:

“This year at Apple Camp, kids ages 6–10 created their own interactive storybooks inspired by kindness on iPad with Apple Pencil. Sign up to be the first to know about the next Apple Camp.”

This t-shirt was provided to those who participated in an Apple Camp experience in approximately 2022. The shirt is bright green with a bright orange logo featuring hand-drawn sketches that fill the shape of an Apple logo. The t-shirt is size 2XL and includes its original cardboard packaging.

My collection includes an earlier design of this t-shirt that uses a yellow logo and the word “Camp,” before Apple Camp was associated with Today at Apple.

Sources: MacRumors, Apple

Apple Watch Sport Loop Demo (Charcoal, 44 mm, Fall 2020)

The Apple Watch Sport Loop band was woven from nylon thread to create a hook-and-loop closure. These bands were available for the 40 mm and 44 mm Apple Watch models, and were offered in sizes to fit 130–200 mm wrists (40 mm) and 145–220 mm wrists (44 mm). The bands also fit older Apple Watch sizes. The product number is 3H100ZM/A.

This band is primarily charcoal, a shade of dark gray (almost black) with two different color edges. One edge is gray/brown and the other is dark blue. The plastic connectors are charcoal matching the primary band color, and the plastic closure is dark blue.

Apple described the Apple Watch Sport Loop band:

“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. On the reverse side, the attachment loops are securely anchored for superior durability.”

This band’s packaging is marked “Demo,” meaning that it was meant to be used as an Apple Store demonstration band for potential customers to see and try in person. However, the box was unopened and the band was never used as a Demo.

Source: Apple, Bandbreite

Apple Watch Sport Loop Demo (Deep Navy, 44 mm, Fall 2020)

The Apple Watch Sport Loop band was woven from nylon thread to create a hook-and-loop closure. These bands were available for the 40 mm and 44 mm Apple Watch models, and were offered in sizes to fit 130–200 mm wrists (40 mm) and 145–220 mm wrists (44 mm). The bands also fit older Apple Watch sizes.

This band is primarily “deep navy,” a shade of dark navy blue with two different color edges. One edge is light blue and the other is orange. The plastic connectors are dark navy blue matching the primary band color, and the plastic closure is orange.

Apple described the Apple Watch Sport Loop band:

“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. On the reverse side, the attachment loops are securely anchored for superior durability.”

This band’s packaging is marked “Demo,” meaning that it was meant to be used as an Apple Store demonstration band for potential customers to see and try in person. However, the box was unopened and the band was never used as a Demo.

Source: Apple, Bandbreite

Apple Watch Sport Loop (45mm, Starlight, Fall 2023)

The Apple Watch 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 (41mm) and 145–220mm wrists (45mm).

This Starlight design used a solid band color of off-white (“Starlight”) with both band edges in a slightly darker shade of off-white. The connector plastics were a melon/orange color, and the closure plastic was slate blue. (This design uses similar accent colors as the “Cream” Sport Loop from Fall 2020, however, this band does not have colored edges to match the connector and closure plastics.)

Apple described the Apple Watch Sport Loop band:

“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. On the reverse side, the attachment loops are securely anchored for superior durability.”

Sources: Apple, Bandbreite app