I'm surprised it took this long for anyone to post pictures.
I got the Skate Classic Authentics today. Here are the changes aside from the checkerboard tag everyone wants to bitch about.
Here is the box.
Here are the shoes. It came with a set of cream laces as well.
Here's the close up of the foxing tape. It's glossy, but not too noticeable from a distance. If you ever had a pair of the Converse 70s, it's the same thing.
Here is the heel tab.
The heelcup is super sturdy. It feels like a sturdy piece of plastic instead of cardboard. Takes a bit of effort to push down and compress it. When I put the shoes on, the heeltab didn't dig into my heel and didn't cause discomfort or bleeding.
The tongue has two elastic straps.
Here's the underside of the tongue.
Here's the view of the toebox. It seems slimmer than usual, but I can't confirm this as I don't have another pair of Authentics. The toebox has about 1/2" of room before the suede starts.
Let's look at the insole. It's a different version of the Popcush that released in 2020. Comparing it to insoles from my Rowans. These insoles have only been walked around in.
Turning over the insoles, they have different designs. The Skate Classic insole (bottom) feels more sturdy than hard than the Rowan Popcush (top). The Skate Classic insole also feels smooth, almost like a soft plastic.
The Skate Classic insole is lower than the Rowan Popcush.
Bending these insoles together shows that the Skate Classic insole is much firm, while the Rowan Popcush is much easier to bend.
The fit is TTS. The shoe also feels more secure to my feet, compared to my crappy Ultracush-era Eras. I don't know how these skate (yet) as I mainly got these for a daily shoe.
tldr there's way more changes aside from the checkerboard tag you baby