Popular accessory company Nomad has released a new range of premium Apple Watch bands made from hydrophobic leather and designed for "heavy everyday use."
The new Active Straps are water and sweat-resistant, and feature ventilation channels on the underside of the leather to ensure the bands remain comfortable and breathable during workouts.
Nomad says the bands are "built for sport," but the look is more formal than sporty, and the bands can be rinsed with water after a workout so they're ready to wear for a night out.
The new Active Strap Apple Watch bands are available in both black and mocha leather, and customers also have the option to choose between black hardware and silver hardware on the stainless steel accents.
The Active Strap is available for 42mm and 44mm Apple Watch models, in one size that fits wrists ranging from 150mm to 210mm. The Active Strap costs $69.95 and can be ordered on Nomad's website from today.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the AirPods Max 2 received more attention, Apple also released a second pair of headphones last month: Nike Powerbeats Pro 2.
Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The headphones were released on March 20 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and a ...
Tuesday March 17, 2026 3:32 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple today launched its atrial fibrillation history feature for Apple Watch in mainland China.
Since 2022, Apple Watch in the U.S. has supported AFib History, which allows users diagnosed with atrial fibrillation to view an estimate of how frequently their heart is in this type of irregular rhythm.
The feature analyzes pulse rate data collected by a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to...
Thursday March 19, 2026 3:10 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's current blood oxygen sensing implementation in the U.S. does not infringe on patents owned by Masimo and Apple will not face a revived import ban, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge said this week (via Reuters).
After Apple was found to have violated Masimo's patents related to blood oxygen sensing, the Apple Watch faced a U.S. import ban that caused Apple to briefly pause...
Tuesday March 24, 2026 10:02 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released watchOS 26.4, the fourth major update to the watchOS 26 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 26.4 comes a month and a half after Apple released watchOS 26.3.
watchOS 26.4 can be downloaded for free on an iPhone running iOS 26.4 by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update, or initiating an update in the Settings app on the...
The best one for myself is Nike Sport Band. Dries quick cause holes and odor free. Nike Sport Loop is easier to adjust, but Nike Sport Band reigns supreme imho.
Meh. I prefer to have materials that an animal wasn't killed for. Or at least not during this millennia.
The best one for myself is Nike Sport Band. Dries quick cause holes and odor free. Nike Sport Loop is easier to adjust, but Nike Sport Band reigns supreme imho.
I agree, except that I feel that the Nike Sport Bands run tighter than the regular Sport Bands.
I wouldn’t expect this to feel exactly like leather, especially given the texture and form that is visible on the inside the band. I wouldn’t even care if this wasn’t real leather, either. Durability and high quality materials (including no weird/harmful chemicals) are what I would want from a waterproof watch band at this price.
I think the band’s rectangular shape looks far better on the Apple Watch than the rounded off bands I see everywhere. I’ve (personally) been tired of Apple’s rounded off corners for years now. The iPhone 5 was the best example of minimal design. It was thin, could be easily gripped due to its “chamfered edges” and was far sleeker than the current “flattened tampon” design that’s been Apple trademark for, what, seven or more models now?
Anything to offset the mashed cookie dough look of the Apple Watch is a step forward, IMO.
For those who want a nice leather band that feels, wears, smells, etc. like leather, you can always chose to use more than one band. As long as these watches require daily fiddling with chargers and the like, why not take another 30 seconds and change the band to fit whatever you’re doing?
