Let’s be honest for a second. We have all seen those Kickstarter campaigns that make us do a double take, not because the tech is groundbreaking, but because the premise is just so specific. The latest one hitting the headlines is the Repod Ultra, a device from a company called WGP that claims to solve a problem I didn’t even know existed. Apparently, there is a whole group of people out there with “forgotten” Apple Watch Ultra models just sitting in drawers, gathering dust.
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I dropped 800 dollars on a titanium smartwatch, I would probably be wearing it until the battery literally swelled out of the casing. The idea that people have these high end devices just lying around unloved is the first big outlandish point the Repod Ultra marketing makes. But once you look past the weird pitch, the actual hardware is actually quite charming in a cyberpunk sort of way.
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What is the Repod Ultra exactly?
At its core, the Repod Ultra is a mech suit for your Apple Watch. You take the straps off your watch and slide the main body into this titanium housing. Once inside, your wearable is transformed into something that looks suspiciously like a classic iPod. It even features a large physical scroll wheel on the bottom half, intended to give you that tactile, nostalgic feeling of scrolling through your music library in 2005.
The case isn’t just a shell. It is designed to interact with the watch’s software. WGP claims the scroll wheel can handle volume adjustment, game interaction, and menu navigation. It even has its own side crown to make sure you can still use the watch’s native inputs. It comes in silver, black, and a natural titanium finish, aiming to match the rugged aesthetic of the Ultra itself. If you don’t happen to have an Ultra sitting in a drawer, they also offer a cheaper version called the Repod C1 for standard Series 3 and SE models.
A digital detox or just a downgrade?
The main selling point here, aside from the retro vibes, is the idea of a digital detox. The Repod Ultra is being marketed as a way to replace your smartphone. The logic is that because your Apple Watch, especially the cellular version, can do things like Apple Pay, Maps, messages, and music streaming, you can leave your addictive iPhone at home and just carry this iPod around.
In theory, this sounds great. You get the utility of a phone without the infinite scroll of social media apps that eat up your day. However, there are some practical hurdles. This isn’t a true iPod in the sense that it doesn’t have a headphone jack. You are still relying on Bluetooth for everything. Plus, while the Repod Ultra makes the watch easier to manage in your hand, it also takes away the primary benefit of the watch, which is having it strapped to your wrist for health tracking and instant notifications.
The outlandish claims vs the reality
The Kickstarter description for the Repod Ultra is where things get a little bit wild. The marketing material suggests that the Apple Watch Ultra is hard to manage when it is on your wrist and that holding it in your hand like a small pebble is a superior experience. Having worn an Ultra for over a year, I can safely say that managing it on my wrist has never been a struggle. It is actually quite convenient to have my hands free.
There is also the no tapping claim regarding the scroll wheel. Old school iPod fans will remember that the click wheel was a D-pad you could press down on. It is still a bit unclear if the Repod Ultra wheel actually clicks or if it is purely for scrolling. If you still have to tap the tiny watch screen for every confirmation, the iPod experience starts to feel a bit like a half baked skin rather than a total transformation.
Who is this actually for?
Despite my skepticism about the marketing, I can see a very specific niche for the Repod Ultra. It is a fantastic anti e-waste device for people who have actually upgraded to a newer watch and want to repurpose their old one. Instead of selling it for a pittance or letting it sit in a junk drawer, you can turn it into a dedicated media player for the gym or a rugged GPS unit for your bike.
It also appeals to the dumbphone community. There is a growing movement of people trying to simplify their lives by carrying devices that do less. By putting your watch in a Repod Ultra, you are essentially creating a premium, titanium dumbphone that still has the best maps and payment systems in the world. It is a niche use case, but for that specific group, this is exactly what they have been waiting for.
