The AirTag Loop was released in April 2021 along with the AirTag. Apple described the AirTag as “a small and elegantly designed accessory that helps keep track of and find the items that matter most with Apple’s Find My app.”
Apple’s press release described this product as the Polyurethane Loop: “The Apple-designed Polyurethane Loop is both lightweight and durable, and fits securely around AirTag.” As of September 2021, the website simply referred to this product as the “AirTag Loop” (a similar product was called the “Apple Leather Loop”).
Apple described the AirTag Loop product:
“Both lightweight and durable, the loop is made from polyurethane and securely fastens your AirTag to your items. The enclosure fits tightly around your AirTag to ensure that it stays put, so you can keep track of whatever it’s attached to. AirTag is sold separately.”
This example is Capri blue, a shade of medium blue.
The Apple Watch SE was announced on September 15, 2020, as an entry-level Apple Watch that lacked some of the features of the Series 6. According to Apple, the Apple Watch SE offered:
“Powerful features to help keep you connected, active, healthy, and safe. Advanced sensors to track all the ways you move and to measure your favorite workouts. And available cellular so you can go without your phone. Apple Watch SE is a lot of watch for a lot less than you expected.”
The Apple Watch SE shared several features with the Apple Watch Series 6, including, “the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter…and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app.”
Because the Apple Watch SE replaced the Apple Watch 3, the previous entry-level Apple Watch of the time, several comparisons were offered:
“Apple Watch SE features a stunning Retina display, with thin borders and curved corners, that is 30 percent larger than Series 3… With the S5 System in Package (SiP) and dual-core processor, Apple Watch SE delivers incredibly fast performance, up to two times faster than Apple Watch Series 3.”
The Apple Watch SE lacked ECG (electrocardiogram) and Blood Oxygen sensors, and it did not use an always-on display watch face.
This 44mm example is the GPS model (without cellular), has a silver aluminum case, and shipped with an Abyss Blue (dark blue) Sport Band.
When the original iPod mini was released in 2004, Apple described it as “the smallest portable music player ever to hold up to 1,000 CD-quality songs.” Originally, it was available in silver, gold, pink, blue, or green, but the second generation iPod mini from 2005 offered brighter versions of the pink, blue, and green and dropped the gold option. In addition, the Generation 2 models matched the printing on the ClickWheel to the color of the exterior case.
The iPod mini Generation 2 also increased battery life from 8 hours to an impressive 18 hours and was offered in 4GB and 8GB configurations. Both iPod mini models used the same size case: 3.6 x 2.0 x 0.5 inches. The iPod mini Generation 2 weighed 3.6 ounces and used a 1.67-inch grayscale display. The iPod mini Generation 2 charged with an included USB 2.0 cable with a 30-pin connector.
This iPod mini is blue and has 4GB of storage. Please note that this particular device has been retrofitted with a flash memory storage upgrade and a new battery.
The Solo Loop Apple Watch band was released in 2020 along with the Apple Watch Series 6. The packaging describes this product as a “Silicone Fitted Band.” According to Apple’s website:
“Made from liquid silicone rubber, the Solo Loop features a unique, stretchable design with no clasps, buckles, or overlapping parts that’s ultracomfortable to wear and easy to slip on and off your wrist. Each band is specially treated with UV to give the band a silky, smooth finish. It’s also swim proof and sweat proof so it can go just about anywhere you want to wear it.”
The color of this band is Tomales Blue, a shade of royal blue. I can find no “official” explanation for the name of the shade “Tomales” blue. However, Tomales Bay is a 15-mile-long, narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County, northern California. Presumably, the blue is named for the color of the bay.
The band was available in 40mm and 44mm widths, and was among the first Apple Watch bands to be sold in specific wrist sizes. The 40mm Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 1–9 and the 44mm 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 snug-fitting design allowed Apple Watch sensors to retain constant and consistent skin contact, allowing accurate blood oxygen and heart rate measurements to be maintained.
The Solo Loop Apple Watch band was released in 2020 along with the Apple Watch Series 6. The packaging describes this product as a “Silicone Fitted Band.” According to Apple’s website:
“Made from liquid silicone rubber, the Solo Loop features a unique, stretchable design with no clasps, buckles, or overlapping parts that’s ultracomfortable to wear and easy to slip on and off your wrist. Each band is specially treated with UV to give the band a silky, smooth finish. It’s also swim proof and sweat proof so it can go just about anywhere you want to wear it.”
The color of this band is Deep Navy, a very dark blue. It was available in 40mm and 44mm widths and was among the first Apple Watch bands to be sold in specific wrist sizes. The 40mm Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 1–9, and the 44mm 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 snug-fitting design allowed Apple Watch sensors to retain constant and consistent skin contact, allowing accurate blood oxygen and heart rate measurements to be maintained.
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 Alaskan Blue band used two main colors including slate blue and dark blue. Contrasting cream-colored stripes flanked both sides of the band. The connector and closure plastics were slate blue. Uncharacteristically, the inside hooks (that cannot be seen while wearing the band) were bright 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.”
Apple announced their AirPods Max over-ear headphones on December 8, 2020, and they shipped one week later on December 15. The original press release touted:
“AirPods Max feature incredible high-fidelity audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, and spatial audio”
The headphones featured a brand new design and included the Digital Crown from the Apple Watch as the primary control interface. Materials included a “breathable knit mesh canopy” that spanned the entire headband that was meant to reduce pressure on the head while wearing the headphones for extended periods. The headband frame was made from stainless steel and telescoped to allow a custom fit. The ear cushions were made from a “custom-designed mesh textile [that] wraps the ear cushions to provide pillow-like softness while listening.” The outer ear cup was aluminum in a rectangular shape with steeply rounded corners (as opposed to a round or oval design seen on other over-the-ear headphone designs).
The audio technology included “H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio.” The battery on AirPods Max was advertised at 20 hours.
AirPods Max headphones were available in five colors: space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. The colors consistently referred to the color of the outer ear cup of the AirPods Max, since each color option used a different combination of accent colors. Space gray used space gray outer ear cups with black ear cushions and headband. Silver used silver outer ear cups with white ear cushions and headband. Sky blue used light blue outer ear cups with light blue ear cushions and a dark blue headband. Green used light green outer ear cups with light green ear cushions and a pale green (white tinted with green) headband. Pink used pale pink (similar to Apple’s Rose Gold) outer ear cups with dark pink ear cushions and a red headband.
AirPods Max Ear Cushions were also sold separately by Apple as replacements or to allow users to customize their headphone style. By mixing and matching the Ear Cushions, 25 color combinations were possible—or 125 combinations if two different ear cushion colors were used.
The AirPods Max shipped with an arguably unusual case design that provided little protection, but allowed the headphones to go into “an ultralow power state that helps to preserve battery charge when not in use.”
When AirPods Max were released, they were almost universally praised for their superior sound quality and noise-cancelling features, but panned for their high price of $549. The primary technical issue shared by some reviewers was the tendency for AirPods Max to “form condensation under the earcups and the water that is formed gets inside the drivers causing ear detection problems.”
The iPhone 13 Pro was released in 2021 and featured upgrades to the previous iPhone 12 models, mostly in camera technology and battery life. Its display used a 6.1-inch (diagonal) Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi).
Upon release, the iPhone 13 Pro used Apple’s then-current A15 Bionic chip and included a 12MP camera system with three cameras: Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide. The cameras allowed 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, and 6x optical zoom range with a digital zoom up to 15x. This iPhone added the ability for “Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps).” It also added the ability to capture Macro photography:
“With its redesigned lens and powerful autofocus system, the new Ultra Wide camera can focus at just 2 cm — making even the smallest details seem epic. Transform a leaf into abstract art. Capture a caterpillar’s fuzz. Magnify a dewdrop. The beauty of tiny awaits.”
For the first time, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max offered identical technical specifications—previous Pro Max models offered additional technical capabilities over the smaller Pro model. However, the Pro Max offered slightly longer battery life (due to its increased size), and a larger screen.
The iPhone 13 Pro measured 2.82 inches wide, 5.78 inches high, and 0.30 inch deep. It weighed 7.19 ounces. The size and weight specifications made the phone slightly larger and heavier than its iPhone 12 predecessors.
Apple marketed the iPhone 13 Pro with the following headlines:
“A dramatically more powerful camera system. A display so responsive, every interaction feels new again. The world’s fastest smartphone chip. Exceptional durability. And a huge leap in battery life. Let’s Pro.”
Further, well over half of the iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max main web page was devoted to new camera and video features.
The iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max was offered in four colors including Sierra Blue, Silver, Gold, and Graphite. Capacities included 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and (for the first time in an iPhone) 1TB—an option that cost $500 over the price of the base model.
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.
The AirTag Loop was released in April 2021 along with the AirTag. Apple described the AirTag as “a small and elegantly designed accessory that helps keep track of and find the items that matter most with Apple’s Find My app.”
Apple’s press release described this product as the Polyurethane Loop: “The Apple-designed Polyurethane Loop is both lightweight and durable, and fits securely around AirTag.” As of September 2021, the website simply referred to this product as the “AirTag Loop” (a similar product is called the “Apple Leather Loop”).
Apple described the AirTag Loop product:
“Both lightweight and durable, the loop is made from polyurethane and securely fastens your AirTag to your items. The enclosure fits tightly around your AirTag to ensure that it stays put, so you can keep track of whatever it’s attached to. AirTag is sold separately.”
This particular item was purchased from Amazon and, it did not include original packaging.
