Struggling into your favorite skinny jeans is already enough of a chore, so you shouldn’t have to suck in to put your smart watch on (beside the fact that, well, you can’t). In an effort to make the Apple Watch more accessible to customers of all shapes and sizes, the tech giant has produced a new Apple Watch Link Bracelet Kit, available for $49, in a move designed to make the accessory appeal to even greater masses. Thanks to the six additional stainless steel links included in the kit, the bracelet size can now be extended to fit wrists that are larger than 205mm in diameter. With the additional 40 mm of wiggle room, those with more sizeable appendages (up to 245 mm around) will be able to comfortably don an Apple Watch.
Today, most Apple watch bands are surprisingly unforgiving when it comes to wrist size. As Virginia Roberts of iMore points out, the Modern Buckle is available at a maximum of 38 mm, as is the Edition model. Capping out at 42 mm are the Classic and Leather Loops, which means that the vast majority of Apple’s wearables miss out on a large segment of the market who prefer a looser fit or just need a bigger band.
Worse yet, most of the bands are distinctively gendered, with smaller, daintier bands featured for women, and larger sizes available only to men. And while the company may be looking to move towards more gender equality in its hiring processes and overall workplace demographic, it doesn’t seem to be marketing its product in the same light.
As of now, the only model of the Apple Watch with this new expandable feature is available for Sports Band and Link Bracelets. But there is certainly hope that this new sense of comfort will soon be introduced across models, including the Edition, the Classic, and the Modern buckles. After all, just about everyone is attracted to the sleek aesthetic that has become second nature to Apple and its products. So shouldn’t we all be able to enjoy them?