TinyPod is the bag for you Apple Watch, which probably doesn’t sound too exciting on its own. However, its unique angle—the click wheel that drives the watch’s Digital Crown—makes Apple’s wearable look and feel (at least in its marketing) like the company’s first breakthrough product of the 21st century: iPod. While you can use it as a music player, it also works with everything else watchOSTurning Apple’s smartwatch into a minimalist, distraction-free “phone.”
The $80 tinyPod works with Apple Watch models 4 through 9 Apple Watch SE. (The 41/40mm and 45/44mm Apple Watches have separate tinyPods.) Meanwhile, the other 49mm version Apple Watch Ultra — because who wouldn’t want to turn their $800 wearable into a minimalist phone? – It costs $90. There’s also the tinyPod lite, a $30 case with a clickless wheel.
This click wheel is its main gimmick, and its creator probably believes it will be safe from Apple’s lawyers. (Its reliance on an Apple product probably doesn’t hurt.) The case’s wheel synchronizes its movement with the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown via “carefully mechanized components inside” that create a “direct rotational connection to your Apple Watch crown.” In other words, anywhere on watchOS that allows movement with the crown will be scrolled with the tinyPod click wheel. In theory, anyway.
The TinyPod website says it can support multi-day battery life by turning off the watch’s wrist detection (which you don’t need here). But given how short the battery life of mobile Apple Watches is when used without a phone in Bluetooth range, living up to that can be a tall order. Of course, you can use a GPS-only model (or turn off cellular) and stick to locally stored music, but that will also limit what it can do.
tinyPod is the brainchild of Newar, a former Snap designer and one-time jailbreak guru. Creative in May placed “it started as a side project before becoming an actual, shipping product for one reason: I loved the way I felt when I left the house with it.”
Whether or not the TinyPod lives up to its billing as a minimalist, distraction-free and nostalgia-laden ‘phone, its creator has put serious thought into consistency in aesthetics, clarity of purpose and marketing. Its website pays attention to details that relish its iPod inspiration, including period-appropriate Apple fonts and a teaser video in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio. (Dancing gorilla silhouettes.)
The TinyPod is available for pre-order ahead of deliveries “this summer”. You can reserve one today product website.
