Apple has released a special edition rainbow-colored watch band to participants of the company's Pride 2016 parade. The special watch band, made of nylon and featuring the colors of the Pride movement, were distributed to Apple employees across the nation.

The Cupertino-based giant's participation in the event might seem like a rather new trend for Apple, but the special watch band, as well as the parade, was actually the 30th anniversary  of the company's Pride association. However, official backing from the company itself started only in 2014.

Last year, Apple workers who participated in the Pride 2015 parade were given custom printed T-shirts, as well as rainbow-colored flags and banners. After the event, a video showcasing the parade was also produced by the tech company.

What is quite interesting about the special watch band for the company's Pride 2015 parade is the fact that it is quite reminiscent of classic 80's Apple logo, which featured a somewhat similar color scheme. Because of this, a number of Apple fans have requested Apple to produce the exclusive bands for the public.

Apart from the special watch band, Apple also featured a specific section of the iTunes Store to Pride-related music on Sunday. According to a press release, the Pride section in iTunes featured music, movies, TV shows, e-books, podcasts, as well as other notable media content related to the LGBT+ community.

Participating in this year's Pride parade was none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook himself, signifying the tech giant's support to the plight of the LGBT+ community.

Notably, the decision of Apple to release special watch bands to its employees who participated in the Pride 2016 parade came with both criticism and support from the company's fans.

Critics of the rainbow-colored watch bands argued that instead of spending its resources on the Pride 2016 parade and other activities of similar nature, Cook should instead push Apple forward towards developing more innovative products, such as new Macs and a more exciting iPhone 7.

Supporters of the Pride 2016 event lauded Cook, however, for taking a stand in the ongoing plight for LGBT+ equality in the country. In light of recent events, any form of support is a big encouragement. 

Tags: apple apple watch apple watch rainbow band lgbt pride 2016