Skip to main content

Are flag-themed Apple Watch bands a dig at Samsung's Olympics sponsorship

olympics watch bands
Casetify
The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio is one for the history books, no doubt. Controversy, namely in the form of pool algae and allegations of performance-enhancing drug usage, have cast a shadow over the festivities, sure, but this year’s games have elevated by historic achievements like Katie Ledecky’s record-breaking 800-meter freestyle, gymnast Simone Biles’ all-around gold medal win, and Fiji’s first gold medal win. Purveyors of goods from book bags to plushies have attempted to ride the coattails of good vibes, unsurprisingly, and now even Apple is jumping aboard. Last week, the Cupertino, California-based company announced a limited run of country flag Apple Watch bands timed to coincide with the Olympics.

Apple debuted a series of 14 $100 watch bands last week — including bands for the United States, Canada, and Brazil — at its brick-and-mortar outlet at the VillageMall shopping center in Barra de Tijuca, about six miles from the Olympic village. They were an overnight hit, apparently — the shop was “close to selling out” last week, according to Reuters, and several eBay auctions for the bands have already climbed into the hundreds of dollars.

Recommended Videos

Olympians have been given front-of-the-line privileges. German’s team manager told iPhone Ticker that the Rio Apple Store is giving away two free bands to any customers “who can show proof of Olympic participation,” and several have already taken advantage. U.S. sprinter Trayvon Bromell and defending decathlon champion Ashton Eaton tweeted photos of themselves wearing the bands on Twitter.

apple-watch-bands-02
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple’s promotion appears to a clever subversion of Olympic Games sponsor Samsung. The Seoul, South Korea-based electronics giant, which became a global sponsor of the Games in 1998, has historically gone to great lengths to snuff out competitors. This year, for example, it requested Olympic participants cover Apple logos on iPhones during opening ceremonies, and in July, it debuted a limited-edition variant of the Galaxy S7 edge, the “Olympics Games edition,” as the “official phone” of the Rio Games.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Olympic sponsors like Samsung can pay as much as $100 million over four years to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for exclusive Olympic marketing rights, according to Reuters. The reason? Incomparable exposure. More than 32.7 million tuned in to watch U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps compete for Olympic gold, for instance — viewership unheard of for a single event, short of the Super Bowl.

While Apple’s stunt comes close to encroaching on Samsung’s paid turf, it doesn’t quite. As long as Apple refrains from displaying the bands “alongside the Olympics logo … oy any other obvious Games symbol,” it’s in the clear. “As long as they do not use the Olympic logo, the Rio 2016 logo or our look, there is no infringement,” Sylmara Multini, director of licensing and retail for the Rio 2016 organizing committee, told Reuters.

Other watchband makers might not be, though. In the middle of August, Casetify launched a new series of $50 nylon watch bands in 16 different Olympics-inspired color combinations  — “The World Flags” collection includes the flag colors of the U.S., U.K., Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Brazil. Unlike Apple’s limited-edition bands, the company’s promotional material make conspicuous mention of the Olympic Games in Rio. As of yet, the IOC has yet to issue a response.

Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
5 things I want to see from the Apple Watch in 2025
The Apple Watch Series 10.

The year wraps up in a few more weeks, and 2024 was a pretty good one for Apple in terms of the iPhone 16 and the Apple Watch Series 10.

Apple made some big changes with the Apple Watch this year, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement. Here’s what I’m hoping to see from the Apple Watch in 2025.
Longer battery life

Read more
These smart glasses have a digital crown just like an Apple Watch
A person wearing the Looktech AI Glasses.

Smart glasses with cameras built-in have taken off in 2024, and now a new pair has arrived on Kickstarter called the Looktech AI Glasses. The glasses provide hands-free access to an AI assistant, but what makes the otherwise familiar design stand out is the addition of a “crown” to control some of the features.

We’re used to seeing this type of control on the Apple Watch and many of the best smartwatches, but this is the first time we’ve seen it on a pair of smart glasses. The crown is set on the underside of the right-hand side arm of the Looktech AI Glasses and can apparently be twisted and pressed to control music playback through the built-in speakers.

Read more
The next Apple Watch Ultra may get a lifesaving upgrade
The front of the Apple Watch Ultra.

One of the most notable features Apple has released in the past few years is support for satellite connectivity on iPhones to help with emergency assistance and communication. It helped people facing the wrath of Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago, and it now looks like Apple is extending that feature to smartwatches.

According to Bloomberg, next year’s Apple Watch Ultra model will be able to latch on to satellite networks. “The technology will let smartwatch users send off-the-grid text messages via Globalstar Inc.’s fleet of satellites when they don’t have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection,” says the report.

Read more