For the past few years, Apple has announced Pride Edition bands for the Apple Watch in May to celebrate Pride Month. And continuing the tradition, Apple has introduced two new Apple Watch Pride Edition bands - Pride Edition Sport Loop and Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop - with matching watch faces. Apple says the Pride Edition Sport Loop is designed using a new technique that removed several of the double-layer nylon-woven textile loops on the band to reveal the word "pride," written in a cursive style inspired by the original "hello" greeting displayed on the first Macintosh in 1984.
The Pride Edition Sport Loop is designed
with a color gradient that incorporates colors from various pride flags, with
light blue, pink, and white representing transgender and gender-nonconforming
individuals, whereas the black and brown shades symbolize the Black and Latinx
communities. These colors also represent those who are living with or have
passed away from HIV/AIDS.
The Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop's
design, on the other hand, features a full spectrum of rainbow colors and
honors individuals in the LGBTQ+ community "who are expanding sport for
future generations and inspiring others to feel the joy of being authentically
themselves."
Apple also announced a matching
rainbow-colored Nike Bounce watch face for the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop
and a Pride Threads watch face for the Pride Edition Sport Loop, which is
inspired by multiple pride flags and combines colors to "represent the
strength and mutual support of the LGBTQ+ movement."
The Pride Threads watch face features
colorful threads mirroring the woven loops on the Pride Edition Sport Loop,
which move when you rotate the digital crown of the Apple Watch, tap its
display, or raise your wrist. Both watch faces are already available for
download. They are compatible with Apple Watch Series 4 or later running
watchOS 8.6, and iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15.5.
The Pride Edition Sport Loop and Pride
Edition Nike Sport Loop bands come in 41mm and 45mm size options, priced at US$ 49/€ 49/£ 49/INR 3,900. The Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop will be available on
Nike.com soon. In addition to unveiling new Pride Edition bands and watch
faces, Apple also announced a new Shot on iPhone Pride Campaign, which will
launch on @apple on Instagram.