In 2017, Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, turned 50. To celebrate his birthday, there’s a story that Apple developed a unique Cloud Sport Band with an Apple Watch Series 2 in Ceramic to celebrate Jony Ive’s half-century.
This Apple Watch band is similar to Apple’s other accessories, except for a tiny detail: An “I50” engraved on the pin. Luckily, we can have a better look at this unreleased product thanks to Apple Collector Stella Fudge. They posted four pictures on X (formerly known as Twitter) with this band.
According to Fudge, there are around ten or so existing Jony Ive’s special Cloud Sport Band. “Most are a test batch with the finalized one given to Ive.” Interestingly, this unique band was given to Jony Ive a couple of years before it left Apple in 2019.
The Apple Watch Series 2 was the first model to introduce a ceramic finish, as the previous generation offered a 24K gold finish, which sold for up to $17,000. With Series 2, Apple lowered the Edition price to around $1,000.
It’s unclear if Jony Ive’s ever worn this special Apple Watch band, but it surely is a unique piece for collectors to have.
Now and then, Apple collectors share interesting unreleased products, such as unfinalized MagSafes, HomePod, and more.
Jony Ive was one of the key Apple employees, and even though he left the company in 2019 due to “culture changes and growing frustration,” he continued to work with Cupertino for at least 2022 when its LoveFrom company broke its contract with Apple.
At the time, The New York Times reported on the matter: “(…) With the contract coming up for renewal, the parties agreed not to extend it. Some Apple executives had questioned how much the company was paying Mr. Ive and had grown frustrated after several of its designers left to join Mr. Ive’s firm. And Mr. Ive wanted the freedom to take on clients without needing Apple’s clearance, these people said.”
While Apple and Jony Ive’s future together is unclear, it’s nice to see these little pieces of history shared. Wouldn’t you like Jony Ive’s unique Apple Watch band?
