Apple has carved out quite a niche with expensive accessories that are almost frustratingly effective.
Braided Solo Loop 18 Months Later – Is It Worth It?
I’ve been eyeing the new Apple Braided Solo Loop for Apple Watch for weeks. It looked beautiful, but felt expensive at $99. Eventually, my constant window shopping exhausted me and I hit the buy button. You simply can’t beat Apple’s quality, even if we don’t blame you for feeling uncomfortable about spending $99 on a watch band.
Apple describes the Braided Solo Loop in a fascinating way that also sounds like fancy (and baffling) marketing terminology at first. It’s made from 100% recycled materials, which is great for the environmentally conscious consumer. It features 16,000 polyester yarn filaments in each band, which are interwoven with thin silicone threads that are laser-cut to a precise length.
Unless you’re an expert in clothing design, this is unlikely to really explain the cost of the band. It also doesn’t really convey how great it feels, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Crucially, for all its fancy use of material, it doesn’t use Velcro or a fastening. Instead, it stretches across your hand before fitting snugly around your wrist.
