An innovative case that turns your Apple Watch into a pseudo iPod is now available to order for $79.99. The tinyPod is a clever case that houses your Apple Watch, turning it into a music player you carry in your pocket rather than strapped to your wrist.
Plus, since it’s an Apple Watch rather than an actual iPod, it comes with some features that Apple’s groundbreaking MP3 player never did.
Turn your Apple Watch into an iPod with tinyPod case
Photo: TinyPod
The tinyPod is one of a new class of Apple Watch accessories that alter the way Cupertino’s wearable can be used. While they don’t let you utilize the smartwatch’s health-oriented features, like monitoring your heart rate or body temperature, they tap the tiny computer’s processing power in unique and innovative ways. Another recent example is the Infobar Apple Watch case, a crazy-looking case based on an iconic Japanese cellphone.
The tinyPod, which went on sale Wednesday, includes a physical scroll wheel — just like iPods or yore. And, through some internal gearing mechanism, it can turn the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown. That way, you can scroll through content and apps, just like using an old iPod.
The company that makes the clever case did not disclose exactly how the wheel mechanism works, but an animated GIF on the company’s site makes it look lovely.
“Rediscover the delight of tactile scrolling with tinyPod’s physical scroll wheel. And yes, it actually scrolls,” the company said. “How? Through carefully mechanized components inside, tinyPod’s wheel makes direct rotation contact with your Apple Watch crown, letting it naturally scroll anything across the OS.”
Your phone away from phone
The company pitches the tinyPod as “your phone away from phone,” a way to stay minimally connected while leaving your iPhone at home. “With all the essentials to stay connected, tinyPod makes that actually possible,” the company says on its website. That’s especially true if used with a cellular Apple Watch, which can take phone calls and send and receive messages and emails.
“Despite it being so capable, Apple Watch in the form of a wearable means it’s mainly limited (along with being uncomfortable for interacting with apps beyond the occasional tap) to being used as a second screen for notifications + collecting fitness/health data that most of us never look at,” the company said. “Imagine unlocking something different out of yours.”
The Apple Watch iPod case obviously works well for streaming music and podcasts. And, because it’s just a case, the Apple Watch functions normally. Everything works except the health features, which are probably why you bought an Apple Watch in the first place.
With wrist detection turned off, the Apple Watch battery will last multiple days, the company says. (We’ve never tested this. Maybe we should.) But that also means you will need to enter your Apple Watch passcode to use Apple Pay, among other things.
tinyPod comes in three sizes
Photo: TinyPod
The innovative Apple Watch iPod case comes in three sizes:
- 41/40mm. Compatible with Apple Watch Series 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 or 4 and Apple Watch SE.
- 45/44mm. Compatible with Apple Watch Series 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 or 4 and Apple Watch SE.
- 49mm (Ultra version). Compatible with Apple Watch Ultra 1 or 2.
It could be a perfect way to wring new life out of an older Apple Watch.
tinyPod is available to order now from the company website starting at $79.99. The Ultra version costs $89.99. The case will ship “this summer,” the company says. A “lite” version of tinyPod without the scroll wheel costs just $29.99.
