Apple is launching a limited edition Apple Watch for Black History Month, with a unique watch band, new watch, and some of the proceeds go to civil rights organizations.
The watch, which is part of a new Black Unity collection of products, has a black, green and red striped band and face meant to reflect the Pan-African flag. It otherwise appears to be the standard aluminum version of the Apple Watch Series 6, with prices starting at $ 399. The tire will also be available separately for $ 49.
The products will be on sale at Apple and Target from 1 February. The band will be on sale all year round, but the watch as a whole will only go on sale in February. It sounds like the watch will be available to anyone with an Apple Watch from today.
Apple says it will support ‘six global organizations’ as part of this product launch, including the Black Lives Matter Support Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the European Network Against Racism.
In addition to the new watch edition, Apple has announced a number of other initiatives for Black History Month this year. There’s a centerpiece in the App Store that highlights black – owned businesses and developers; Apple Music gets ‘composite playlists, essays, original videos’ and other content highlighting black artists; and Apple Maps gets composite recommendations from EatOkra, which highlights black-owned restaurants. Apple plans to compile stories focused on black families and experiences in the Apple TV and Apple News apps and to highlight Black authors in Apple Books and Apple Podcasts.
Apple is among a number of technology giants that have collectively pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for racial equity initiatives. Apple announced a $ 100 million fund in June 2020; earlier this month, Apple said it would set up a development center in Detroit and support a technology center for historic black colleges and universities in Atlanta.