[afctee]

I was in an Apple shop today, and asked about the Nike watch bands. I guess the only way to purchase one, is to buy the Nike watch itself.
Ugh, I was this close to doing so. But, reality set in; plus it was $399+. I might as well look at a Hermes band, then

Surely at some stage Nike/Apple, will start to offer these bands, no?

[John Yester]

You can pick up 3rd party Nike Bands.

[StraightlineBoy]

Not really the same thing. If you spend 399 on a Nike you get a watch and a strap, you could even sell your spare watch. If you spend 399 on a Hermes you get an overpriced strap.

[Mac Guy]

Surely at some stage Nike/Apple, will start to offer these bands, no?

I don't think so. And now that I've said that, they probably will. But I see no real upside to doing that. Apple charges $50 for the Sport bands, and I don't really think they could sell the Nike bands for more, and it would devalue the Nike+ watch cachet.There's enough margin in the Hermès line that selling the bands separately doesn't eat into the sales of the Watches.

You can pick up 3rd party Nike Bands.

Yes. There are third-party bands that have the Nike look down cold. I have the Black/Volt and am expecting the Cool Gray/Volt on Monday. These bands are good bands and fair knockoffs. They are said to be silicone, not fluoroelastomer. They feel slightly slicker to my touch. The bands are both slightly thinner and appear to be very slightly narrower to my eye. The differences are obvious when handling them if you're familiar with the Sport bands, but they look nearly identical and are a fraction of the cost. I'm not trying to fool anyone into believe I've got a Nike Watch; I just like the bands, and I really like these otomake™ watch bands.

Longevity is the only wild card here. But given that I've amassed a few bands now, these won't be worn daily and should last a good while, assuming some Andromeda Strain doesn't destroy them.

[StraightlineBoy]

I don't think so. And now that I've said that, they probably will. But I see no real upside to doing that. Apple charges $50 for the Sport bands, and I don't really think they could sell the Nike bands for more, and it would devalue the Nike+ watch cachet.

And as someone who waited the extra 6 weeks to get a Nike+ watch when I could have got a regular series 2, I'll be annoyed if they do start selling the Nike bands any time soon. Ok maybe 12 months from now, but if it was to happen soon that would be Apple going back on their word that the bands were exclusive and while that maybe doesn't mean exclusive forever it should be for a decent period of time.

[msm0511]

I was in an Apple shop today, and asked about the Nike watch bands. I guess the only way to purchase one, is to buy the Nike watch itself.
Ugh, I was this close to doing so. But, reality set in; plus it was $399+. I might as well look at a Hermes band, then

Surely at some stage Nike/Apple, will start to offer these bands, no?

It's the same price as the Series 2 42 mm aluminum. If I get a Series 2 I'm prolly gonna buy the Nike+ just because it's the only way to get the band. I can always buy the nylon or sport band later. I can't decide if I like the volt or grey though.

[tcuprof]

Yes. There are third-party bands that have the Nike look down cold. I have the Black/Volt and am expecting the Cool Gray/Volt on Monday. These bands are good bands and fair knockoffs. They are said to be silicone, not fluoroelastomer. They feel slightly slicker to my touch. The bands are both slightly thinner and appear to be very slightly narrower to my eye. The differences are obvious when handling them if you're familiar with the Sport bands, but they look nearly identical and are a fraction of the cost. I'm not trying to fool anyone into believe I've got a Nike Watch; I just like the bands, and I really like these otomake™ watch bands.

I believe the bands you're referring to are otmake (not otomake). Right?

I suppose it should come as no surprise that lots of vendors are selling the Nike bands. Just go to amazon and do a search on Nike Apple Watch bands. I count 9 different vendors on just the first page!

[StraightlineBoy]

It does me make me wonder how Amazon would react if I set up in business trading on their name? (I realise these are 3rd party sellers but it's Amazon's web site) It's one thing saying the bands are compatible with the Nike watch but some definitely call them Nike bands and others will use words like Volt, which almost certainly isn't a colour but a Nike trademark (or something like that).