Tag: Titanium

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Apple Watch Ultra Ocean Band Extension (49mm, Yellow, Fall 2022)

The Ocean Band and Ocean Band Extension were released along with the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022. Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra debuted three additional new band designs, the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and the Ocean Band.

The Ocean Band was described by Apple:

“The Ocean Band is molded in a high performance elastomer with a tubular geometry allowing it to stretch for a perfect fit, even over a wetsuit. The corrosion-resistant titanium buckle and adjustable loop secure the band during high-speed water sports. A band extension is sold separately to fit over your thickest wetsuit.”

Apple described the Apple Watch Ultra Ocean Band Extension:

“Made from the same high-performance elastomer as the Ocean Band, this band extension lengthens the 49mm Ocean Band by an additional 50 millimeters — perfect if you need extra length to wear the band over your wetsuit. The extension comes with an extra adjustable, corrosion-resistant titanium loop which you can place in any tube to tuck the excess band into. This extension must be used with the regular Ocean Band.”

This band was available in three colors: white, midnight, and yellow. This example is yellow. The Ocean Band Extension paired with the Ocean Band was compatible with Apple Watch models including 44mm, 45mm, and 49mm.

The Ocean band was advertised as “One Size (Fits Most),” and fits 130–200mm wrists. Although the XL Ocean Band Extension was made to wear over a wetsuit, I was hoping that it would allow me to wear the Ocean band with my 215mm wrist because it provides “an additional 50 millimeters” and “comes with an extra adjustable, corrosion-resistant titanium loop, which you can place in any tube to tuck the excess band into.”

Unfortunately, the additional 50mm must be folded back over itself, thus creating a three-layer stack of the band that neither looks good nor feels comfortable. I have provided a few photos of the comically inappropriate back-and-forth looping required to wear this band with a larger wrist. I do not recommended this band or extension.

Source: Apple (store, press release)

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Apple Watch Ultra Ocean Band (49mm, Yellow, Fall 2022)

The Ocean Band was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra also debuted three additional new band designs, the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and the Ocean Band shown here.

The Ocean Band was described by Apple:

“The Ocean Band is molded in a high performance elastomer with a tubular geometry allowing it to stretch for a perfect fit, even over a wetsuit. The corrosion-resistant titanium buckle and adjustable loop secure the band during high-speed water sports. A band extension is sold separately to fit over your thickest wetsuit.”

The band is advertised as “One Size (Fits Most)” and fits 130–200mm wrists. My 215mm wrist required the Ocean Band Extension that is sold separately.

Apple offers additional information about the Ocean band in its Apple Watch Ultra press release. Apple notes that “the Ocean Band is designed specifically for extreme water sports and recreational diving with a titanium buckle and corresponding spring-loaded loop.”

The Apple Watch Ultra was advertised, among other uses, as made for “Ocean and Water Sports Enthusiasts.” In all of Apple’s press examples, models who were engaged in water activities were wearing the yellow Ocean band.

A feature new to the Apple Watch Ultra was also mentioned: “When submerged, Apple Watch Ultra automatically launches a new Depth app, which displays time, current depth, water temperature, duration under water, and max depth reached.”

This band was available in three colors: white, midnight, and yellow. This example is yellow. The Ocean Band was compatible with Apple Watch models including 44mm, 45mm, and 49mm.

Source: Apple (store, press release)

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Trail Loop (Black/Gray, M/L, Fall 2022)

The Apple Watch Trail Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Trail Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple added:

“Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is both soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.”

Apple’s product page described the Trail Loop:

“The thin, lightweight Trail Loop is made from a nylon weave creating a soft band with increased elasticity for a comfortable fit. The band is infinitely adjustable with a convenient pull tab for quick adjustments on the go.”

This Trail Loop is Black/Gray. The main outer field of the band is a dark gray, while the inside of the band uses a thin alternating stripe pattern of dark and light gray. One edge of the band is accented in dark gray and the other side is accented in black. The connectors are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. The band has a bright orange closure tab that is stitched to the main band.

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Trail Loop is made primarily of nylon.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom)

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Apple Watch Ultra (2022)

The Apple Watch Ultra was announced on September 7, 2022, and was described as having a “revolutionary new design with breakthrough capabilities.” Apple highlighted the Apple Watch Ultra as:

“built for endurance, exploration, and adventure. Apple Watch Ultra introduces a 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire front crystal that reveals the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display yet. A customizable Action button offers instant access to a wide range of useful features. Apple Watch Ultra has the best battery life of any Apple Watch, reaching up to 36 hours during normal use.”

The Apple Watch Ultra website focused upon the ruggedness of the design and depicted users in “extreme sport” situations including running through a desert, climbing mountains, and scuba diving. To match these scenarios, the Apple Watch Ultra offered three new band designs, the Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band. Apple described each new band:

  • Trail Loop. Comfort for the long run. Designed to be light, thin, and flexible. It features a fuss-free loop closure for quick adjustments during workouts. Extra stretch built into the webbing makes it easy to cinch for optimal fit.
  • Alpine Loop. Tough as trails. Light, durable, and made from two textile layers seamlessly woven into one continuous piece without stitching. The corrosion‑resistant titanium G‑hook slips smoothly into the reinforced loops for a secure fit.
  • Ocean Band. The sea is calling. Molded from fluoroelastomer rubber, it’s lightweight and flexible. It has a titanium buckle and a spring‑loaded titanium adjustable loop that secures through the tubes for a hypersecure fit, even during high‑speed water sports. An attachable band extension lets you wear it over a thick wet suit.

In addition to its rugged design, several features were exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra. The Apple Watch Ultra had apps for scuba and free diving, a redesigned compass, a lightweight titanium case, a precision dual-frequency GPS, and its battery could last up to 36 hours (up to 60 hours in low power mode). It had a screen that was twice as bright as other Apple Watch models (up to 2000 nits) and had a night mode for low-light situations.

The Apple Watch Ultra also had an extra “Action button” on the left side that “gives you quick, physical control over a variety of functions. It’s customizable and can do things like control a workout, mark a Compass Waypoint, or begin a dive.” The “International Orange” button could be customized in the iPhone Watch app to control the following functions:

  • Workout
  • Stopwatch
  • Waypoint
  • Backtrack
  • Dive
  • Flashlight
  • Shortcut

When pressed and held, the Action Button activated an “86-decibel sound pattern to attract help” that “can be heard up to 600 feet or 180 meters away.”

The Apple Watch Ultra also had a Three‑Microphone Array to allow use in windy environments. The microphones used an adaptive algorithm that “picks the best microphone for audio. Machine learning filters noise for optimal voice clarity.”

The larger size of the Apple Watch Ultra screen allowed a few additional display features unavailable in other models. While working out, the display allowed viewing up to six simultaneous metrics. The redesigned Compass app could be accessed in a new ring display on certain watch face designs and offered real-time elevation, incline, longitude, and latitude along with the directional information.

The Apple Watch Ultra was released in just one color, size, and finish: a metallic light-beige shade of titanium. The display was 49mm. All models used three chips, including the S8 with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip, and U1 Ultra Wideband chip. GPS and Cellular were standard features along with 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3. It measured 49 x 44mm and was 14.4mm deep. It weighed 61.3 grams.

Sources Apple (Newsroom, product, specs)

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Alpine Loop (Orange, Large, 2022)

The Apple Watch Alpine Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Alpine Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple adds:

“With explorers in mind, the Alpine Loop band features two integrated layers made from one continuous weaving process that eliminates the need for stitching. The top loops, interspersed with high-strength yarn, provide adjustability and a secure attachment for the titanium G-hook fastener.”

Apple’s product page described the Alpine Loop:

“The rugged Alpine Loop is made from two textile layers woven together into one continuous piece without stitching. High-strength yarns reinforce the top loops, and the corrosion-resistant titanium G-hook slides easily into the loops for secure fit.”

This Alpine Loop is Orange. In fact, the entire band is bright orange with no other accent colors. The connectors and the “G-hook” closure are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. Although splitting hairs, a more apt name for the hook would be a “g-hook” since it matches the shape of a lowercase—not uppercase—“g.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Alpine Loop is made primarily of polyester.

Finally, this Orange Alpine Loop was named “Band of the Year/2022” by users of the highly recommended Bandbreite app for Apple Watch Band collectors. I participated in the voting, and I included this band in the three choices I was allowed to contribute to the poll.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom), Bandbreite app

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Trail Loop (Blue/Gray, M/L, 2022)

The Apple Watch Trail Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Trail Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple added:

“Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is both soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.”

Apple’s product page described the Trail Loop:

“The thin, lightweight Trail Loop is made from a nylon weave creating a soft band with increased elasticity for a comfortable fit. The band is infinitely adjustable with a convenient pull tab for quick adjustments on the go.”

This Trail Loop is Blue/Gray. The main outer field of the band is a dark gray, while the inside of the band uses a thin alternating stripe pattern of dark and light gray. One edge of the band is accented in light gray and the other side is accented in blue. The connectors are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. The band has a closure tab that is stitched to the main band.

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Trail Loop is made primarily of nylon.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom)

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PowerBook G4 (Gigabit, Titanium, 2001)

In January 2001, Steve Jobs announced “the most revolutionary portable computer ever created”—the Titanium PowerBook G4. At the time, this laptop had Apple’s largest display and fastest processor. Apple stated that a “mega-wide display and blazingly fast PowerPC G4 processors make it the ultimate system for portable video editing using Apple’s iMovie…or Apple’s award-winning Final Cut Pro professional video editing, effects, and compositing software.” The display was a 15.2-inch TFT widescreen display.

The PowerBook G4 Titanium was given the unofficial nickname of “TiBook.” This particular PowerBook G4 Titanium model was released in December 2001 and was referred to as the “Gigabit TiBook” referring to its ultra-fast Gigabit (1000BASE-T) ethernet port (an upgrade from the previous model’s 100BASE-T ethernet port).

The PowerBook G4 Gigabit used a 667 MHz PowerPC 7440 G4 processor and was available with 256 MB or 512 MB SDRAM, and 30 GB hard drive. A slot-loading 6X DVD-ROM drive was located below and to the right of the trackpad on the front of the case. Overall, the PowerBook G4 Titanium was 1.1 inches thick, 13.4 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and weighed an average of 5.3 pounds.

Along with the original Titanium PowerBook G4, this model was known for its sometimes problematic hinge assembly that resulted in a broken hinge and/or display problems due to the video cable running through the left hinge. These quality issues were resolved in the third “DVI” iteration of this laptop.

Upon release, the design of the Titanium PowerBook G4 was a major departure from previous Apple laptops. Although its “Titanium” moniker referred to its internal chassis, the laptop’s exterior used two shades of silver metal—a design never repeated in an Apple laptop. Its mega-wide screen (at 1152×768 pixels) had a bezel smaller than current pro Mac laptops. Also, this was the first Apple laptop to feature an Apple logo that was “right way up” when the laptop lid was open—a design met with cheers from the Macworld audience when the laptop was first shown on stage.

This PowerBook G4 in my collection functions, but has a major dent in its trackpad and several cosmetic issues due to wear and tear.

Sources: Apple Newsroom, EveryMac, Wikipedia, Macworld

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Mini-brochures collection (2001)

These product mini-brochures were available in Apple Stores and elsewhere in the early 2000s. They measured 3 x 4.5 inches folded, and designs unfolded into different configurations. All of these mini-brochures feature a photo of the product on the front panel, information inside, and specifications on the back panel.

Precious metal. (PowerBook G4 Titanium) (January 2001)
This mini-brochure folds out into an 8-up landscape-orientation mini poster featuring the Titanium PowerBook G4.

The New iBook. (May 2001)
This iBook mini-brochure unfolds into an 8-up landscape-orientation mini poster featuring the white iBook and the words “Your life. To go.”

Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver) (July 2001)
This Power Mac G4 mini-brochure unfolds into a 2-up layout touting the SuperDrive: “SuperDrive. Superfast.”—then a horizontal 4-up display featuring various tasks that can be performed on the Power Mac G4—and finally an 8-up landscape-orientation mini-poster featuring a “hero” photo describing the “Quick silver” Power Mac G4 as a supercomputer.

Apple Displays (July 2001)
This mini-brochure unfolds into an 8-up landscape-orientation mini poster featuring Apple’s three LCD displays (15-, 17-, and 22-inch models) with the tagline, “The first family of flat-panel displays.”

iMac (August 2001)
This iMac mini-brochure features an uncharacteristic shot of a snow iMac in a room—instead of on a white background. The horizontal 4-up layout features several tasks that can be completed on an iMac with four photos and the headlines “Surf the Internet,” “Make movies,” “Mix music,” and “Make a photo album.” The fully unfolded 8-up poster features a birds-eye view of an indigo iMac with the headline, “Your digital life starts here.”

iBook (October 2001)
This iBook mini-brochure unfolds into an 8-up landscape-orientation mini-poster listing several features (make movies, go wireless, organize your organizer, Mac OS X, rip thousands of MP3s, make a photo album, watch DVDs, burn DVDs, AppleCare) and the tagline “Your life. To go. The new 600MHz iBook.”

PowerBook G4 (October 2001)
This PowerBook G4 mini-brochure unfolds into an 8-up landscape-orientation mini-poster featuring the Titanium PowerBook G4 and the tagline “1 inch thin, 5.3 pounds, DVD, 5-hour battery, AirPort, 15.2-inch mega-wide screen.”