50 Shades of Blue

*From Alaskan to Surf Blue, Apple currently offers ten different hues of Blue across its accessory lineup.*

Whether it’s Alaskan, Cape Cod, Cornflower, Cosmos, Delft, Denim, Linen, Midnight, Mist, Ocean, Royal, or Surf Blue, I’ve always fawned over the shades of Blue Apple has used across their accessory lineup. Apple has released dozens of blue accessories over the years, regularly refreshing colours in the fall, spring, and summer months, and will likely continue to release dozens more as the years roll on. But in this entry, I wanted to record a quick snapshot of the 10 (yes, TEN!) different blues Apple has currently listed across its product line¹.

Alaskan Blue

Introduced during 2019’s iPhone & Apple Watch Series 5 event, Alaskan Blue is a colour heading into retirement. In addition to the accessories pictured above, Apple previously offered Alaskan Blue accessories for the iPad Pro 11” (Smart Folio), iPad 7 & iPad Air 3 (Smart Cover), and as an Apple Watch Sport Band & Sport Loop - although these colours are no longer available.

Atlantic Blue

Apple introduced Atlantic Blue during their ‘Time Flies’ Apple Event back in September 2020. The colour is currently available solely in Apple’s new Braided Solo Loop band for the Apple Watch.

Baltic Blue

Baltic Blue is another new colour Apple debuted in mid-September during their Apple Watch event. And like Atlantic Blue, this colour is only available in Apple’s new band, the Leather Link. This hints of green, this colour reminds me of a lot of Cosmos Blue, Dark Teal, or the Pacific Green colours Apple has used in previous iPhone & Apple Watch accessories.

Cornflower

First introduced in March and later expanded in June 2019, Cornflower was available in a wide variety of accessories across Apple’s product line but is headed toward discontinuation. Cornflower was available as an Apple Watch Leather Loop, Sport Band, & Sport Loop; as a Smart Cover for the 10.5” iPad Pro (compatible with the iPad Air 3, iPad 7, & iPad 8) & iPad mini; and as an iPhone Silicone, Leather, & Leather Folio case for the iPhone XS & XS Max. Currently, only the iPad mini Smart Cover and iPhone XS Leather case remained available for purchase (on the US Apple Store).

Deep Navy

Deep Navy is yet another one of Apple’s newest blues that was introduced back in September. Deep Navy has swept across the product line, currently available as a colour option in the Sport Band, Sport Loop, and the new Solo Loop for Apple Watch. The colour is also available as a Smart Cover for the iPad mini and iPad 8, and as a Smart Folio for the iPad Pro (both 11” & 12.9”) & iPad Air 4.

Deep Sea Blue

Released in a colour refresh back on March 18, 2020, Deep Sea Blue remained limited exclusively to the Leather Folio case & modern buckle for the 40 mm Apple Watch. Presently, only the Leather Folio remains available, the Modern Buckle colour having been discontinued when Apple refreshed colours in September 2020.

Diver Blue

When Apple released the new Leather Link at the Time Flies Apple event in September, I was confident that mean the end for the Leather Loop, a band that had existed in Apple’s lineup going back as far as when the Apple Watch was first publicly announced in 2014. Surprisingly, Apple has kept the Leather Loop alongside the new Leather Link, even adding a new colour, Diver Blue, to the collection in September.

Linen Blue

Linen Blue was introduced in the summer of 2020, available as a Sport Band for the watch & as a silicone case across the iPhone 11 lineup. Currently, only the iPhone cases remain available on Apple’s website as the colour appears to be heading towards being discontinued.

Midnight Blue

Midnight Blue, the workhorse colour of the Apple accessory ecosystem. This colour has been around since 2015, Appearing in a wide range of accessories ranging from the Apple Pencil Case to Apple Watch bands to the MacBook Laptop sleeves. The colour currently remains available as a Silicone & Leather case for a variety of iPhones (from the 7/8 Plus, XS, SE (leather only), & 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max), a Smart Cover for the 9.7” iPad, and MacBook Sleeves for the 13”, 15”, & 16” MacBook lineup.

Surf Blue

Still in the tail end of Winter and the throes of the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, Apple released this cheery blue when it announced the new iPad Pros for 2020. Surf Blue was available for both the iPad Pro 11” & 12.9” as a Smart Folio as a Smart Cover for the iPad 7, Air 3, and mini. Apple also released Surf Blue as a Sport Loop and Sport Band for the Apple Watch. This colour also seems to be slowly being retired from Apple’s lineup.

Off the top of my head (and with just a wee bit of internet help), I was able to come up a list of all the blues Apple has used across their various accessories over the last 6-7 years:

Alaskan Blue, Atlantic Blue, Azure, Baltic Blue, Blue, Blue Cobalt, Blue Orbit/Gamma Blue, Blue Horizon, Blue Jay, Bright Blue, Cape Cod Blue, Celestial Teal/Black, Cerulean, Cornflower, Cosmos Blue, Dark Teal, Deep Navy, Deep Sea Blue, Delft Blue, Denim Blue, Electric Blue, Linen Blue, Marine Blue, Midnight Blue, Mist Blue, Navy, Ocean Blue, Royal Blue, Sapphire, Scuba Blue, Sea Blue, Sky Blue, Surf Blue, Tahoe Blue, & Turquoise.

¹Excluding the Hermès collection, which currently feature a Navy Single Tour. If you counted that, then the number goes up to 11.