Only Time Will Tell: Third-Party Apple Watch Bands Are Coming

Similar in notion to any new iPhone model, third party companies are wondering how to get themselves into the market for Apple Watch products. So it should not come as a surprise that third party Apple Watch bands were popping up on the market even before the Apple device launched. However, Apple recently made a move so that third party companies are more compliant with Apple’s standards.

On Monday, the company launched a “Made for Apple Watch” initiative. The “Made for Apple Watch” program gives the exact specifications, measurements, and performance standards that all Apple Watch bands must meet. This “Made for Apple Watch” follows suit with other “Made for” programs, as was evident with the release of the “Made for iPhone” and “Made for iPad” licensing programs. The “Made for” program first debuted in January 2005 with the release of the iPod, and has since fallen in to every succeeding product.

One of the biggest focuses of Apple’s “Made for Apple Watch” is the custom band straps. As denoted by the Apple website, “Apple Watch bands are easily changed with simple release buttons and lugs that secure the band to the Apple Watch case.” Through the program, Apple details exactly how the bands and lugs (or band attachments) should be constructed. Their guidelines also detail how the bands should stick to the environmental guidelines, while also fit tightly around the wearer’s wrist so that the user’s heartbeat can be read. Furthermore, these bands cannot integrate magnetic chargers into their design, settling one of the device’s rumors to rest.

Although it only covers third party bands, the “Made for Apple Watch” could eventually extend to include chargers, stands, and more Apple Watch accessories. Yet nothing in this Apple program has revealed anything about the Apple Watch’s hidden diagnostic port, which has been one of the biggest rumors (and excitements) since the device’s launch.