The United States Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent filed by Apple last August, which detailed an Apple Watch band accessory that could double as a "protective cover" for the device itself when not on a user's wrist (via AppleInsider). Referred to as the "Magnetic wristband," the accessory would be similar in function to the Leather and Milanese Loop bands sold today but include multiple "configurations" to introduce more utility to users.
The first configuration would essentially turn the band into the Apple Watch's own protective casing, coiling around the device and linking together magnetically the same way it would when placed on a wrist. The patent iterates on the fact that when removed, the Apple Watch "can be subjected to even greater forces and damage than when worn by the user," and as such, a way to protect the wearable device without any outside, third-party equipment could be greatly beneficial to each wearer.
Another configuration of the proposed band includes multiple ways to display the watch when it's not in use on a wrist. Using the band's magnetic technology, Apple's patent proposes simple solutions of being able to attach the entire product onto surfaces like a refrigerator or computer's bezel to keep it in sight. Another idea suggests the magnetic wristband could be rolled up into itself to create a sort of on-the-fly stand for the Apple Watch.
As with any patent story, the magnetic wristband is far from a confirmed lock for the upcoming "Apple Watch 2," but since it's long been rumored the company will most likely introduce new bands for the second generation device, it is an interesting possibility of where Apple could go with the wearable this year. With news surrounding the possible start of a trial production run on the next Apple Watch as early as this month, it's not too long that users should have to wait for the official announcement of the device. Current estimates place the reveal in March with a launch in April.
Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps.
More features and changes will follow in future ...
Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by Juli Clover
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass.
The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings.
iOS 26.4 will...
Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet.
The update will likely be released by the end of next week.
Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more.
With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below.
Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle
Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year.
The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
I was with you guys on this notion up until yesterday, I usually get a bit over two days use of my watch between charges and yesterday I found myself with no juice so I went to toss it into my bag and had to do a bit of rearranging to make sure my watch didn't get scratched up on my commute home. Would have been cool to wrap the band around and snap into place and I wouldn't have given it a second thought. It's an interesting feature but, not a selling point exactly.
A lot of these types of patents have to do with stopping other companies from using that idea.
I guess my move in that case would have been to leave it on my wrist and wear it home.
I might be in the minority, but if my watch is off its on its charger and doesn't need a protective strap case
I don't think you're in the minority, plus I find these pretty durable anyway, I only have the sport model and I bash it on lots of things and not a single mark on it (And I wouldn't expect any different!)
My sport isn't pristine, as I have some knicks and scratches on it (I'm hard on watches). But I will say that it gets a lot more abuse on my wrist than it does when I'm not wearing it. I take it off and put it on my Incipio nightstand charger. No trauma or drama. :)
I was with you guys on this notion up until yesterday, I usually get a bit over two days use of my watch between charges and yesterday I found myself with no juice so I went to toss it into my bag and had to do a bit of rearranging to make sure my watch didn't get scratched up on my commute home. Would have been cool to wrap the band around and snap into place and I wouldn't have given it a second thought. It's an interesting feature but, not a selling point exactly.
A lot of these types of patents have to do with stopping other companies from using that idea.
