The real winners of the Apple event are Apple Watch band owners

What’s that word? The one where you take joy in the suffering of others? Ahh, that’s right: schadenfreude. And following yesterday’s Apple Watch Series 7 announcement, I’m schadenfreudening all over the fucking shop.

Basically, almost every single leaker claimed the new Apple Watch would echo the design of the iPhone 12 (and now 13) range. In other words, it was going to have a squarer design and look something like this:

Apple Watch Series 7 Jon prosser — This image is from Jon Prosser, arguably the worst Apple leaker working today.

Instead, Apple actually made the Apple Watch rounder. Like this:

apple watch series 7 — Mmm, soak me in that sweet, delicious misery.

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I’m not here to kick leakers while they’re down though. Well, not entirely. I’m writing this in order to celebrate the real winners of last night’s Apple event: owners of Apple Watch bands.

When news of the potential redesign surfaced, one of the more troubling elements was the likely incompatibility of previous Apple Watch straps. I mean, it’d be borderline impossible to keep the same mechanism with such a fundamental change of shape.

For the thriving community of collectors and users — myself included — this was a big concern.

Apple Watch bands aren’t cheap and, if you’ve built up a collection, having to get rid of all of them if you upgrade to the newest wearable feels like getting sand kicked in your face. And your wallet stolen.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Apple Watch Series 7.

While the design of the smartwatch has been tweaked, it’s still backwards compatible with Apple Watch bands from previous generations. This isn’t an accident. In fact, it’s an integral aspect of the design, something I’ve written about before.

More than anything though, I’m just happy that, in this instance, Apple has prioritized its users over making a quick buck. Because, and let’s be honest here, would it be a massive surprise if the company changed the Apple Watch bands and forced users to completely replace their collection? Of course it wouldn’t.

But, friends, today isn’t that day. And no matter what you think of yesterday’s event, at least we can agree on one thing: the real winners are the Apple Watch band fanatics.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.