Accessory Mishmash Mismatch
Why is Tomales Blue only available as a Solo Loop? And why is Mallard Green available as a case for the iPad but not the iPhone? And why is the MagSafe wallet the only place the stunning Arizona colour is featured?
Call me old-fashioned, but there is something appealing about having accessories match across a product line. And not far back, that was the way of things. Your Midnight Blue iPhone case could have a matching Midnight Blue Sport Band (or Leather Loop, take your pick), and if you had an iPad, you could buy a Midnight Blue Smart Cover (leather or silicone) and even a Midnight Blue Leather Sleeve and Midnight Blue Apple Pencil Case. Had a MacBook? Then you could pop that into a matching Midnight Blue leather sleeve as well. And if Saddle Brown or Black was more your thing, then you could do the same thing with any of those as well.
But recently, and particularly striking when Apple refreshed their accessories this spring, their colour matching across the product line is next to nonexistent. That's not to say we didn't get some striking new colours (we did!), but the issue is that I can't see any coherent explanation of how which colours were chosen for which accessories. We now have colours available for iPad cases and Solo Loops, but not iPhone cases. Sport bands with no matching iPhone case. Colours that have no other pairings, and then some that are available across multiple accessories. Below are a half dozen such design choices that have me scratching my head.
Tomales Blue
Availability: Apple Watch Solo Loop.
This new colour reminds me quite a bit of 2019s Alaskan Blue & Summer 2020s Linen Blue. A less saturated but darker blue band with hints of purple, this band debuted as a Solo Loop in Apple's 2021 Spring Refresh. But only as a Solo Loop. If you like the colour and wanted it either in an iPad cover, iPhone case, or Sport Band, you're out of luck. Last Fall, when the Solo Loop debuted, the colours mirrored those found in the Sport Band, so you could choose between a Sport Band or Solo Loop in the colour you desired. This convention was held even in Apple's Winter refresh (Plum, Kumquat, Northern Blue). So it struck me as odd that this suddenly stopped (but only for specific colours, which makes this even more confusing).
Cantaloupe
Availability: Apple Watch Sport Band & Solo Loop. & iPhone 12 Silicone Cases.
Recall that I brought up the convention about Sport Loop colours existing as Sport Bands? Well, Cantaloupe adheres to that! But only Cantaloupe adheres to that! Cantaloupe is odd because it alone follows the previous pattern for colours existing across accessories in a season where every other accessory seems hell-bent to violate that rule.
Capri Blue
Availability: Apple Watch Sport Band, & iPhone 12 Silicone Cases.
If you thought Surf Blue was as blue as blue can get, then let me introduce you to Capri Blue! An intensely saturated, bright blue that's available as an iPhone Silicone Case & Sport Band. Why it isn't available as a Solo Loop, I have no idea. So we now have Tomales Blue existing as a single accessory, Cantaloupe available across three different accessories, and Capri Blue appearing in just two. See what I mean about this year being odd?
Arizona
Availability: MagSafe Leather Wallet.
Taking the crown as the most breathtaking colour Apple released this spring, Arizona is a deep terracotta brick red available as a MagSafe Leather Wallet. And that's it! Would it look jaw-dropping as an iPhone case, Leather Loop, or Leather Link? Absolutely! Can you get it in those accessories? Absolutely not! Why? Beats me.
Amethyst
Availability: iPhone 12 Silicone Case.
Apple has released some pretty striking purple accessories over the years (the Dark Aubergine Classic Buckle, any of the Plum accessories released last winter, and the Aubergine iPhone Leather Folio all come to mind). Amethyst is yet another lovely purple accessory from Apple but... you guessed it... there's a catch. It's only available as an iPhone case. If you were hoping to get a matching Apple Watch Band, you're again out of luck.
Electric Orange
Availability: iPad Smart Folio (iPad Pro 11" & 12.9", iPad Air 4), Smart Covers (iPad 8th generation, iPad mini 5), AirTag Loop, & Braided Solo Loop.
This fun new bright pinkish-orange colour debuts in an iPad Smart Folio, Smart Cover, Braided Solo Loop, & AirTag Loop. But if you're hoping to get an Electric Orange as a fun, vibrant case for your iPhone case, you can't.
Pistachio
Availability: Apple Watch Solo & Braided Solo Loop, & iPhone 12 Silicone Case.
Like Electric Orange, this colour is also available in a braided Solo Loop. But unlike Electric Orange, you can't get this colour as an iPad accessory. This time around, you can get this colour in an iPhone silicone case and even as a Silicone Solo Loop. Prefer a Sport Band? Then look elsewhere because Pistachio doesn't come in that style.
Mallard Green
Availability: iPad Smart Folio (iPad Pro 11" & 12.9", iPad Air 4), Smart Covers (iPad 8th generation, iPad mini 5), & Apple Watch Sport Band.
If you've been following along to this point, then I hope you're struggling as much as I am to see any identifiable pattern or convention for what accessories go where? The only consistency I see is that Apple seems allergic to having iPhone cases match their iPad covers, as none of the iPhone case colours this season are available for the iPad, and vice versa. But where colours do seem to cross-pollinate is among the Apple Watch accessories, but they're still predicting which colours will appear where appears to be a fool's errand. Mallard Green is another such example. Available as an iPad cover and Apple Watch Sport Band, but again not available as an iPhone Silicone Case or Solo Loop.
In Sum
Apple's only consistency this season appears to be that no two colours will get the identical accessory treatment. Again, this is odd given how historically, efforts were made to have at least a few colours coordinate across the line, as we can see in previous colours like Deep Navy, Cyprus Green, Pink Citrus. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for these discussions and decisions to understand how the strategy for consistency seems to have shifted into a chaotic colour mishmash.
