Topline
Apple unveiled a new crossbody knit iPhone pouch Tuesday, raising eyebrows among consumers for its steep price tag—between $150 and $230 depending on strap size—though the product was made in collaboration with Issey Miyake, the Japanese designer brand also behind Steve Jobs’ signature turtlenecks.
Some consumers criticized the high price tag. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Facts
Apple announced Tuesday the iPhone Pocket will launch Friday, with the knit pouch available in a short strap design spanning eight colors for $149.95 and a long strap design, made in three colors, for $229.95.
The product was inspired by Issey Miyake’s concept of “a piece of cloth,” through which clothes are cut from a large, pre-sewn tube of fabric, which creates a uniform look and minimizes waste.
Apple said the product was “born from the idea of creating an additional pocket,” stating it can be worn cross-body, handheld or tied onto bags, and that the pouch fits any iPhone model.
The pouch will only be available for a limited release and will only be available in a handful of Apple stores worldwide and on the company’s online store.
Some consumers drew comparisons between the iPhone Pocket and the iPod Socks, a similar knit pouch Apple unveiled in 2004, though it was sold at a much cheaper price of $29 for a pack of six.
Chief Critics
Some consumers criticized the high price tag and compared the product unfavorably to the iPod Socks. Marques Brownlee, a technology review YouTuber whose channel has 20 million subscribers, tweeted the product “feels like a litmus test for people who will buy/defend anything Apple releases,” criticizing the high price. Many of the top comments under a post on the r/Apple subreddit were similarly critical. “Thought this was a parody,” one user wrote, with another replying they “fully expected this to link to an Onion article.” Another mocked the steep price tag: “Only $150 for a piece of cloth? thats [sic] a bargain.” Tech publication The Verge criticized the product as a “pretentious” version of the iPod Socks, noting former Apple CEO Steve Jobs “had the good sense to mock the $29 iPod Socks as ‘a revolutionary new product’” when he announced its launch in 2004. At the iPod Socks launch, Jobs poked fun at the product and joked it would “keep your iPod warm on cold days” to laughter from the audience.
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