[mirkules]

It is mind-boggling to me that something so frivolous is a $1B industry. Watch straps to me are completely functional. Sure, I’ll pick a better-looking strap, but I would never pay extra - especially not the exorbitant amount Apple charges - for looking “pretty”.

Just goes to show that all my assumptions about what makes a product popular/profitable are wrong.

P.S. I do have the Apple watch anyway. My strap requirements are: breathable, can be removed easily, doesn’t pinch arm hair.

[stouset]

I find that the people who say things like this are the same folk who will spend extra on a gaming PC battlestation that has color-coordinated neon lighting from the chassis, monitor backlighting, and on their keyboard.

People value aesthetics. Not everything in life is purely functional. Maybe you don't personally appreciate the beauty of a nice wristwatch strap, and that's fine. But I can virtually guarantee that there's some area of your life where you have spent additional dollars on a widget to gain some additional aesthetic value above and beyond what was purely functional. You simply did so on objects you personally care about. You likely have even done so without being consciously aware of this decision! Someone else with different preferences could easily look at that purchase and boggle at how anyone could spend extra on something so pointless.

And if you really, truly, have never spent extra time, effort, or money on something you'd appreciated for its beauty? To me, that's… just kind of depressing.

[mirkules]

I think my comment was misinterpreted, judging by both comments to it.

What I meant to say, wrist straps were not even on my radar of aesthetics, and I was shocked to learn it’s a $1B business (for Apple alone?). So clearly, I missed how much they mean to people.

Obviously, I (and pretty much everyone else) do buy things at least partially influenced by aesthetics (clothing, sunglasses, furniture, to name a few). Wrist straps were a huge surprise for me, though. Another one is paying a premium for different colored phones (and I admit I was first in line to pay a premium for a jet black RAZR phone back in the day)

[SenHeng]

I was in a discussion about a decade ago on the topic of form following function. People were arguing that decorative bits were unnecessary and detract from the beautiful form of something that's functionally pure. A creative director that works with several name brands you've heard of ended the conversation there by replying that decoration serves a different kind of function, mainly communication. If engineers had their way, most products would have nothing but cubes and spheres. In this sense, decoration would be rounding the edges of a cube to communicate that the product is kid friendly, fun to play with and will not hurt if you step on it. Conversely, sharpening the overly round corners helps convey that the product is a serious tool for serious business.

I'm paraphrasing because here because this is so long ago but I hope you get the point. Apple doesn't make products that 'just look pretty', they also tend to be highly functional. (As long as you're not holding it wrong.)