Whenever Apple announces something new, companies will use the most basic specs revealed onstage to take a stab at making What You Need to go with it. But the Apple Watch is even crazier; despite not even existing yet, more than a few companies are already accessorizing for it.
The Apple Watch represents a challenge for accessories manufacturers: Do we really need a whole lot of peripherals to enhance our watch-using experience? When it does roll out in early 2015, designers are going to have to get pretty creative in coming up with ways to be a part of the party. Perhaps that's why they're starting early.
It started with this crowdsourcing campaign boasting the "world's first accessories" for the Apple Watch by a Swiss watchmaker. The video for "the most personal device Apple ever did" showcases not one but several Apple Watch products that can be yours as soon as there is actually an Apple Watch to go with them.
Check out the "cover candy," polyurethane straps that go over your watch much like one of those Crocs-esque iPhone 5C cases. For $20 you can ensure that your $400 watch will have all the class of a 1982 Swatch guard:
Already disenchanted with Apple nonexistent band offerings? For just $60 you can have one of these instead.
Docking stations are another area where designers are jumping in headfirst. The Composure charging station below embeds a magsafe inductive charger that the Apple Watch will have into this slab of walnut. $80.
If you'd rather your Watch stay upright, there's Dodo Case's Apple Watch charging stand with a similar concept, which might be somewhere between $60 and $80, with your $5 deposit today:
It's also available in walnut and you can even have the base monogrammed, WHY NOT?
Don't like wood? Try the HEDock docking station which is made of Apple-approved brushed aluminum, available to pre-order at $30.
While only a concept, this idea from Design Packaging imagines how the Apple Watch box might be repurposed into a place to charge your device.
The plastic stand turns into a charger that can also hold your iPhone, turning it into a kind of nightstand-ready one-stop-Apple-shop for your evening charging needs.
To review: Apple is making a smartwatch, which a handful of people have seen while on someone else's wrist, yet a slew of manufacturers have already started designing products with no idea when the final product will actually come out. Stay tuned: This is only the beginning.
Lead image: Rest