With renders of what the new Apple Watch 7 may look like spreading throughout the design world, everyone’s pretty excited to see what Apple will actually pull off with the latest version of their smartwatch. Currently, the Apple Watch is the most popular watch in the world, and this honestly doesn’t come as much of a surprise, when you take into consideration the number of people you see jogging or walking on the street, with their Apple Watch armed on their wrists. In celebration of this one-of-a-kind watch, and in anticipation of what its latest version may unveil, we’ve curated a collection of nifty accessories that will perfectly complement your beloved Apple Watch. From a watch case that looks like an iPod to a band that lets you control your smartwatch without touching the screen – we’ve put together a range of diverse and interesting Apple Watch accessories that even hardcore Apple lovers will go gaga over!
Is that a new iPod?! Nope! It’s the new Apple Watch in its coolest, old-schoolest external case yet! Joyce Kang and C.O Design Lab’s Pod Case gives the Apple Watch a much-needed history lesson, introducing it to the ancestor that started the Apple craze. The watch’s screen roughly matches the screen size found in classic iPod Nanos, while its body is only a slight bit thicker. The Pod Case, made in silicone, slides right over the Apple Watch body, giving it a funky throwback, while also letting you use the watch as-is. On the other hand, it’s a very comfortable feeling to use the latest tech with a product we have loved for a while. Obviously, the jog-wheel on the front is a dummy one (although it could work if it connected via Bluetooth), but the watch can easily be navigated using the touch-screen. Besides, this one comes with heavy-duty speakers of its own too!
Working on a tech quite similar in outcome to the Google Soli chip found in the Pixel 4, the Mudra is a wristband for the Apple Watch that comes with its set of sensors that pick up hand gestures by measuring nerve activity in your wrist. The Mudra band allows you to use your watch without touching it, but more importantly, it gives you the ability to use your left hand to control parts of the Watch experience, being able to snooze alarms, accept or reject calls, play/pause/skip music tracks, or even playing an old-fashioned game of Snake. The band picks up directly on gestures sent to your wrist via the motor nerve, almost forming a brain-to-device interface.
Inspired by the daily sunrise, industrial designer Taesung Yoon has thought of the 2 in 1 Apple Devices Charging Stand (yes, that’s the name of this accessory) that does what it says. Designed after feedback from the data-driven research and realizing what people actually want in their unified Apple charging stand, this accessory has been cleverly designed for form and function. The charging stand’s vertical stance with a slightly arched top means that the iPhone sits comfortably without the fear of accidentally toppling it over with an accidental shove. Right behind this port is the space for setting up the Apple Watch for refueling in style. So, you can charge your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. The compact design of the accessory means it is easy to carry in your backpack.
Meet this cool new camera feature coming along with a strap designed exclusively to house your Apple Watch. Called the Wristcam, the band features two cameras: an 8MP lens on the front and a 2MP camera that faces you when you lift up the wrist to see the watch screen. The front-mounted 8MP camera can shoot images in 4K resolution while recording videos in Full HD. The selfie camera can be used for video calling – or either camera for live-streaming. The Wristcam comes with its own 8GB of storage and a battery good enough for a day’s fun. According to the company, the Wristcam is water-resistant up to 1-metre, it connects to the Apple Watch over Bluetooth Low Energy, and with the iPhone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Taking pictures and capturing videos is as easy as pressing the button on the band.
The Interval Swim Earphones from H2O Audio build on the Apple Watch’s ability to work underwater. Designed as an attachment/accessory to the watch, these bad boys strap around your head using your goggles (giving them a universal fit) and allow you to dock your Apple Watch right into them. They come with a pair of Bluetooth earphones too, that aside from preventing water from going into your ear, allow you to listen to music, podcasts, ebooks, motivational speeches, or feedback from your coach. The Interval Swim Earphones come with an endorsement from avid-user and Olympic legend Michael Phelps too. They’re 100% waterproof, engineered to sound great underwater (with an increased bass response), and come with physical controls for adjusting the volume as well as for play/pausing your audio tracks.
There’s an undeniable simplicity and beauty to Yohann’s iPhone and Apple Watch charging dock+tray. Handcrafted from walnut wood (there’s a lighter, Oakwood variant too), the charging dock+tray takes into account the space it’s going to be kept in and adds a homely, classy touch to your wooden work desk, bedside table, or coffee table. The dock/stand’s choice of wood as a material gives it a classic appeal, making it look elegant even when it’s empty. The underlying tray provides a nice surface to keep your keys, USB sticks, and even AirPods; while channels running along its base you cleverly organize your charging cables. The stand’s waist provides the perfect place to stash/charge your Apple Watch, and the lightning port on the upper surface lets you easily dock your iPhone vertically, so you can charge it while you answer calls, view your calendar, attend conferences, or just browse through social media!
Satechi’s Grip Mount for the Apple Watch allows you to attach the device (sans the wristbands) to your car, cycle, or motorbike, allowing it to work in conjunction with the vehicle, serving the purpose of a navigational device that also lets you answer and reject calls, or even control music. The fact that the Watch comes with Bluetooth makes it perfect for your car, allowing you to connect it to the car’s audio system for onboard calls, navigational guidance, or controlling music playback. You can also use it on a bicycle, letting it run the Cyclemeter app to capture the amount of exercise you’re getting too! The Apple Watch, chock-a-block with cutting-edge technology, is capable of being much more than a wrist-mounted smart device.
Elago’s products are just sensible and help you use your Apple products more efficiently. Take for instance the Wristfit, a band for your Apple Watch that lets you conveniently dock your Airpods in them too. At the time of their release, the Airpods were criticized for being too ‘easy to lose’. This spawned a wide variety of products like the Elago Airpods strap that helped you secure your expensive earpieces in place, eliminating the danger of losing them. The Wristfit is another such ‘sensible’ product that simply gives you the ability to dock your Airpods on your Apple Watch. Keeping them in a place that’s easy to access, the Wristfit secures the Watch around your wrist, and the Airpods right on the strap like a sort of holster for your earphones. Push them right in when you’re not using them and you won’t have to worry about them at all.
Go ahead and add yet another incredible feature to the iPad Pro. The tablet already did have the ability to reverse-charge devices, but with Satechi’s Apple Watch dock, the iPad Pro can charge and dock your smartwatch right beside it! The way the Apple Watch docks on the iPad Pro is similar to the way the Pencil does. It sits right on the edge, allowing you to wirelessly charge your watch while you comfortably use your tablet uninterrupted. Like all of Satechi’s products, the USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock comes with Apple-certified MFI charging and works across all generations of the Apple Watch. The dock plugs right into the side of the iPad Pro or the MacBook Pro, although you could just as easily use it with any power bank too. The sleek aluminum design does a pretty good job of blending in with Apple’s design language, while inbuilt magnets securely hold onto your watch as it charges, allowing you to dock your iPad on a stand without worrying about the watch slipping or falling off.
Designed as a pretty nifty throwback to Apple’s golden era of the iPod, Elago’s W6 stand is a perfect tribute to one of Apple’s most ground-breaking products ever! The W6 is a part of Elago’s rather remarkable throwback series of stands for the watch, ranging from stands that resemble the Macintosh Computer to the gloriously colorful iMac G3, to even the Nintendo GameBoy. The W6 takes on a more recent ancestor of the Watch, the iPod Classic, which made its debut in 2001, nearly twenty years ago! A modern reinterpretation of the old plastic-and-metal device, the W6 stand is tiny and comes made from silicon, allowing it to flex as you slide your Watch in, and preventing it from accidental bumps or scratches with its shock-absorbing exterior.
