Apple finally released a proper purple Apple Watch band after Ultraviolet a few years ago. English Lavender is also part of the very first bands to have the 41mm and 45mm markings.
Such a wonderful shade of purple. I like it a lot more than Ultraviolet. The English Lavender Sport Band is available from Apple at the usual Sport Band pricing. Hopefully Apple releases more purple bands in the near future.
Valentines Day is the day you show your significant other that he or she is special. While expensive presents will definitely do, limited edition items can make better presents simply due to the item being only available at a particular period in time.
If you have yet to prepare your present for this Sunday, these three Apple items are worth serious consideration. With Chinese New Year coming up logistically speaking you only have to tonight or tomorrow to buy your present, so there is no time to waste.
Apple’s second ever limited edition Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity.
It is only available for this month (February 2021).
If you have the budget, this is the one item to buy your loved one. They are available at the same prices as the normal Series 6, starting at 599SGD, in both sizes and in GPS and GPS+Cellular variants
Stock Status:
Not all models are in stock.
All 40mm models are in stock at all Apple Stores.
However, 44mm GPS models, arguably the most popular model, are only in stock at Apple Marina Bay Sands. 44mm GPS+Cellular models are in stock in all Apple Stores.
The Sport Band is available without the watch as well, if your loved one already has an Apple Watch and are unlikely to appreciate another one. Everyone can appreciate more watch bands, however. Unlike the watch the Black Unity Sport Band, while limited, will be available for the rest of 2021 while stock last. Available for the usual 69SGD.
Stock Status:
It is in stock at all three Apple Stores.
These are the regular AirPods Pro with a Ox laser engraving on the wireless case. As it is a Chinese New Year model, it is likely to be available only while stocks last.
Stock Status:
It is in stock at all three Apple Stores.
If your valentine can wait to receive his or her present from overseas, then these deals are definitely worth it as you will be able to save a bunch of money.
The AirPods Pro
Beats Flex
For more gift ideas, check out my previous Christmas Gift Guide.
https://9to5mac.com/2021/02/01/unlock-iphone-face-id-mask-apple-watch/
This is literally a tier one reason to buy an Apple Watch Series 6 this year.
Speaking of which, a limited edition Apple Watch was just released.
The Black Unity Apple Watch is only available this month, February 2021. It will start at 599SGD, just like all the other Series 6 Apple Watches.
The Black Unity Sport Band will be available until the end of 2021. It will cost 69SGD.
Read about the introduction here.
Well, this really came out of nowhere.
This is Apple’s first limited edition Apple Watch since the NikeLab Series 2 Apple Watch with the Light Bone/Black Nike Sport Band.
The watch itself looks like the usual Series 6 Space Grey Aluminium watch with special engraving on the ceramic back, and will only be available in February, while the Black Unity Sport Band will also be available separately throughout 2021 if you don’t buy the watch. It is likely that the packaging (boxes) will be different from the usual white (or nike black) ones, which will be of interest to collectors.
The Black Unity Sport Band is created in the same way that the 2020 Pride band was created, by fusing two different band colours into one single band. Seems like more bands created with this technique will be coming out in the future.
“Limited edition†is extremely tempting, but I really do not need another Apple Watch (and I am out of work). Maybe I will just fork out money for the band. We will see.
They will go on sale from February 1st.
It’s less than three days from Christmas! Have you already prepared presents for your loved ones? Or have you totally forgotten that 2020 is near its end?
If your loved one/s are big Apple or iPhones fans, and you have already made up your mind to gift them an Apple this Thursday night or Friday, you will need to act fast.
It is unlikely that deliveries will make it in time, so your best bet is buying from the three Apple Stores locally. However, due to COVID-19 you can no longer just walk into any Apple Store without an appointment, so the way to go is to purchase online and do an in-store pickup.
The iPhone 12 mini or the iPhone 12 Pro Max
I have previously detailed why I think these two models are the ones to check out. Even as reports are coming in that initial sales of the 12 mini are lackluster, you will likely know what size of phone your loved one needs. The 12 mini is small and cute, and light on your wallet. The 12 Pro Max, the favorite for Singaporeans who can never get enough of the best things, is an investment but one that is worthy for your loved one.
Stock Status:
The iPhone 12 and 12 mini are in stock in almost every capacity in each of the three Apple Stores.
The 12 Pro, however, are mostly out of stock with the exception of the 512GB models. The 256 models are in stock only at Apple Orchard.
The 12 Pro Max is fully in stock in every color and capacity with the exception of 128GB Silver being unavailable at Apple MBS.
M1 MacBook Air
Now, if your kid or girlfriend has a old-as-hell laptop, it is likely time to get them the best laptop the computing industry has ever witnessed in three decades – the M1 MacBook Air.
Stock Status:
The space grey models are completely out of stock, with only sporadic availability for the gold and silver models. I personally prefer the gold, but you will know if the recipient is not a gold kind of person if you are spending this kind of money on time. Do act fast if you are intending to buy the MacBook Air. Like right now.
AirPods or Beats (selected models)
If you are buying something for someone you just met, or you are simply too broke to afford anything more, the Apple and Beats’ range of earphones are a good idea. However, you can almost always get them at a cheaper price elsewhere, so buying directly from Apple may not be the best idea. Maybe a promise that they will get their present when it arrives in Singapore will suffice for Christmas Eve.
These are the ones to go for: AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro and the Beats Flex. The Beats Flex you can buy from Apple since they are unlikely to be cheaper elsewhere for now. For the Powerbeats and Powerbeats Pro, take note that they may not fit every ear.
iPad Air
If your loved one seldom uses the computer at home, or already has a new-ish computer, the new iPad Air may be your answer. However, due to their popularity, you are unlikely to find many models in stock locally.
Stock Status:
Only the Sky Blue 64GB wifi models are in stock at one or two of the Apple Stores (Jewel and MBS), and Rose Gold 256GB wifi at MBS. Maybe hitting up resellers is a better choice if you want an iPad Air by Friday.
The Apple Watch
Finally, i think the Apple product that is best suited as a Christmas Present is the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch is one of the Apple items that may not be in every iPhone user’s hands yet, maybe because they do not want to fork out the cash to test something they have no experience with, or they simply do not have the habit of wearing watches for them to fork out the extra cash. Gifting the Apple Watch, will open these people’s minds to the idea of having an accessory that does things that they do not expect their iPhones to do, or even features that they think they needed before.
The Apple Watch spans such a huge range of prices that they literally fit everyone’s budget. You can gift a kid an affordable Series 3, or gift your wife an expensive Hermes Apple Watch. The Edition and Stainless Steel models are practically jewellery. The SE is a good gift for your parents to track their health, and the Series 6 is good for anyone who wants to be at the forefront of Apple tech. Unless the recipient is a watch snob, or someone who always have scratched watches on their wrists, I do not know any iPhone user who will be unhappy to receive one.
Stock Status:
Take note, that the Hermes are hard to find in stock, especially with the wide range of band options. The Apple Watch Edition Titanium models are much easier to find, even though not every band is available everywhere.
All the Series 6 and SE aluminium and stainless steel models are in stock at all stores (not every band is), including the Red and Blue models.
Tip 1: If you are set on buying a Space Grey or Silver Aluminum model, buy the Nike+ ones. They cost exactly the same but have Nike+ model specific watch faces that you cannot get with the normal models. The only catch is that you have to choose from the available Nike+ bands to pair with the watch.
Tip 2: Always use the Apple Watch Studio to find your favourite watch and band pairing instead of just selecting one of the default Apple pairings on their site.
Tip 3: Unless you are absolutely sure of the recipient’s wrist size (even the Apple tool can get it wrong), do not order the Apple Watch with any of the Solo loops. It will be a pain in the arse to get it exchanged as many sizes and colours are in and out of stock all the time. Get the Sport Band or the Sport Loop, or any of the leather options if you want something high class.
What are you waiting for? There is no time to lose. Order on Apple.com today and collect tomorrow.
Look! A power brick!
The microfibre watch cover is way better than the paper one in the Series 6.
The shiny!
Not intending to use the Milanese Loop as it is known to leave permanent scratches on the SBSS DLC coating.
Yes I know. Why will I buy a Series 5 watch when the Series 6 exists?
The Space Black Stainless Steel(SBSS) Apple Watch is (almost) no more. With Series 6 Apple retired the SBSS from the normal line (only a variant remain for the Hermès Apple Watch) and introduced the Graphite in its place. Personally I much prefer the look of the Graphite, as it shows off the shininess of the stainless steel much better than the SBSS ever could.
There have however been concerns that the Graphite’s Diamond-like Coating (DLC) is not as strong as that of the SBSS. The dlc process coatings carbon on top of the stainless steel to make it resistant against scratches, and it is the carbon that gives the SBSS and the Graphite their black color. The Graphite’s lighter color implies that less carbon has been used in its coating process, and thus the weaker resistant against scratches. Therefore the SBSS is still the choice if you want the strongest protection against scratches.
I do not think it matters. When you buy a Gold or Graphite (or SBSS) stainless steel Apple Watch. if you managed to scratch hard enough the silver underneath will show through the Graphite or Gold coatings, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix it. If you have the bare stainless steel you can always polish away the scratches with metal polish. The PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) and DLC (which is a kind of PVD) coatings on the Gold and Graphite (and SBSS) Apple Watches do provide a protection layer against scratches, with the DLC being the better of the two. Nevertheless if you are worried you should either buy the bare stainless steel model, or one of the aluminum ones (so your heart does not bleed everytime you get a scratch unfortunately).
That said, since the SBSS may become rare going forward, I decided to purchase one for my collection (at an amazing discount from a land far away, where the sun wakes the earliest) with the help of a great friend. Looking at the watch close makes me appreciate the subtle shininess that is only obvious when you are near to it. The stainless steel Apple watches have always been the better experience, with the added weight on your wrist and the shinier look of the sapphire-infused cover glass. You feel like you are wearing a piece of jewelry and not a cheap tech toy.
I love the SBSS. And all my other Apple Watches. I noticed that the ECG app is on the SBSS. That is not the correct behaviour for a watch originating from Japan. Therefore it will be a mystery for me to solve in a different post.　Edit：Solved. iOS 14.2 activated the ECG app in Japan.
Have a Series 0, 1 or 2 Apple Watch and wondering if you can use it on iOS 14? Find out here.
The Apple product year has largely ended. It is quite unlikely for Apple to make any new product announcements from now until the start of 2021, so the next few weeks are likely to be light on Apple news. You will probably see worsening Covid-19 situations, news of lockdowns, and even mass hysteria episodes, instead of hearing about the AirPods Studio or the Apple Silicon iMac.
This week though, is Black Friday Week. On a certain e-commerce giant’s site in another country, the latest Apple Watches (both Series 6 and SE) are now available for 20% off MSRP. I am not going to get into the how-to of freight forwarding, DuckDuckGo is your friend for that. Seriously, if you are going to focus on only one thing this whole week, focus on getting the best deals from Black Friday. This is a once in a year thing, and everyone needs new toys to cheer up a bit from all the 2020 things.
Remember the MagSafe Duo? People make jokes about how it will end up like AirPower and never show up. But it is a extremely simple device. It is no different from making a dual-pad Qi charger or a Qi charger with an integrated Apple Watch charger. Reviews have already went up on YouTube since one or two weeks ago. Is it worth the price? Nah, probably not. You really have to want the “convenience†of the travel friendly folding design to justify paying 199 Singapore dollars for the thing. It is nothing more than a foldable rubber pad with the MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers nicely integrated. Yes you save on using separate chargers for two cables, but that issue is easily solved with any multi port chargers on the market. Sure, it looks nice. But I can spend that $199 on a leather case and a MagSafe wallet for my iPhone 12 and still have change left over. It is like the official Apple Watch dock. It is a simple accessory that is well made and nice, and the only question is if you like it enough to pay what Apple wants for it. I tend to answer no to that question. But you do you.
By the way, are there any fanatic genuine Apple Watch band collectors in Singapore? Do reach out.
Ryu and Dan comes back once again to talk about the multiple sales events going on in November, including the massive Apple Watch sales ongoing at Amazon. Then it shifted to Anker chargers, iPhone accessories and Ryu’s iPhone 12 mini preorder. Both give their predictions and wants for Apple’s November 2020 event, titled “One More Thing”.
If you are a new listener, the ExFAT podcast is available to listen and subscribe on the following platforms;
P.S. Changed the embedded player to Apple Podcasts the day Apple announced the embedded player feature.
Thanks to a friend, I am able to do the PRODUCT(RED) unboxing. The blue watch I had purchased when the watch was first announced, but subsequently returned when the bundled band did not fit into the watch’s slots.
I first unboxed it in a indoor environment with only artificial lighting available, and at first sight I did not like it. In most less than idea lighting, you will not be able to tell the Blue watch from the Space Grey watch. The shade of blue on the watch looks pretty nice if you are in strong, bright lighting, but for most other situations, the blue watch is going to look very understated. If that is what you are going for, the blue watch is worth considering. However, I went to the Apple Store to take a look at the PRODUCT(RED) watch when it was just out, and the blue just looked really dull next to the bright and shiny thing that is the PRODUCT(RED) watch, even in Apple Store lighting.
Unlike the relatively safe colours out for the Apple Watch so far, the blue and PRODUCT(RED) watches will NOT look nice when paired with certain watch band colours. If you made a bad pairing, everyone is going to know that you have no taste. However, for those who are either band savvy or just plan to use the bundled band, you are going to be just fine.
Nah.
…and especially this season. I was first made aware of this issue when the bundled Deep Navy sport band did not fit into my blue Series 6, and I had to return the watch. After much discussions with fellow genuine ‘Apple Watch Band masketeers’ online, we discovered that the quality control of the sport bands are extremely lacking this year, especially for the bands announced with the Series 6 and SE. The two main complaints are either the band is too thin and can not lock into place when slot into the watch, or the band is too thick and cannot even fit into the slots in the first place. There are cases where only one or two (out of three) of the sport band parts in the box have this issue, so for now the advice is to buy directly from Apple where you get the choice of returning or a direct swap (within 14 days from purchase) if you find such issues. If you buy in store and try it on there and then, you can get an immediate swap if the bands do not fit.
Cannot afford a new Apple Watch this year? Dying to find out if your Apple Watch Series 2, 1 and 0 can pair with iOS 14 phones? Find out..
