Not happy with the stainless steel Milanese loop band you picked out when you ordered your Apple Watch?
Well, fret no more, as Apple will start selling individual bands for the watch later this week, according to a memo sent to stores and obtained by Apple blog 9to5Mac. Most of the bands in stock will be the watch’s rubber-looking Sports Band, the message said.
When ordering an Apple Watch, customers can choose from six band styles, and some of them, like the Sport Band and Leather Loop, are available in multiple colors.
The stocks of spare bands will mostly be for customers who want to swap the band that came with their watch. Some of the stock will also go to replace worn-out bands from the store watches that customers try on when shopping. And lastly, a small portion of the inventory will be available for customers wishing to purchase an additional band to swap depending on their mood.
Magsafe chargers for the watch have been available in stores in the past few weeks. Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly told employees that stores would get more watches to “by June.” Since going on sale, they’ve been mostly available via delivery. The timing makes it more likely that watch bands would also appear in stores soon.
11 Amazing Features of the Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is the company's' first entirely new product category since the original iPad. It's a huge gamble for Apple and a test of the still-nascent wearable market.Stephen Lam—Reuters/CorbisThe Watch is the most customizable and varied product Apple has likely ever launched. It'll come in three editions made of different metals and be available with multiple snap-in wrist bands. Prices start at $349.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesThe Watch has a touch interface that can sense the difference between a light touch and hard press. But it also has a "digital crown" that allows users to quickly scroll through lists without obscuring the screen.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesThe Watch must be paired with an iPhone for many of its functions. The device piggybacks on the phone's data and GPS connections to pipe in directions or incoming voice calls and text messages, for instance.Stephen Lam—ReutersThe Watch, like Apple's other iDevices, will have various independent apps. Examples include a Tesla app that shows the status of your electric car when it's charging and a Starwood app that lets the Watch act as your room key.Stephen Lam—ReutersApple's fitness app, one of the device's main selling points, tracks runs, walks and bike rides.Stephen Lam—ReutersThe Watch also can track your heart rate (while resting, while active) throughout the day thanks to these light sensors on the back.Koichi Mitsui—AFLO/CorbisIt also has Apple Pay, the company's digital payments platform. Swipe the Watch in front of a compatible kiosk and it will make an automatic online payment.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesCEO Tim Cook has said the Watch will last about a day before it needs to be recharged. So far, battery life has been the biggest downside of most wearables. The Watch recharges through the magnetic system shown here.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesThe Watch will come with many customizable bands that slip on and click in place at the top and bottom of the device's body.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesIt also comes in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, to fit on different size wrists.Monica Davey—EPAHigher-end models of the watch could cost several thousands of dollars.Stephen Lam—ReutersApple is significantly expanding it's product reach.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesAnd there's one more thing...David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIt tells the time.Marcio Jose Sanchez—AP
