Remember Steve Jobs’ signature black turtlenecks? Well, the man behind his uniform was Japanese designer Issey Miyake, and his brand has now collaborated with Apple on its newest product, the iPhone Pocket.
Made from slim strips of ribbed fabric that entirely enclose the iPhone, the sling-like bags, when stretched, expose the phone’s screen, so users can peek at its display through the material.
The minimalist accessory comes at a price; customers will have to pay between $149.95 and $229.95 — depending on the length of the strap — to get their hands on an item that is being likened online to the iPod sock, Apple’s 2004 iteration of a handle-less cotton holder for its now largely obsolete iPods.
Unlike the iPhone Pocket, iPod socks didn’t break the bank. Twenty-one years ago, an iPod user could stash their device in a rectangular cut of fabric for $29, which covered a pack of six.
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Two decades later, the knitted iPhone Pocket comes equipped with a strap and can be handheld, tied onto bags, or worn directly across the body. It comes in a variety of colours, including pink, purple, black and brown.
The short strap design is available in eight colours, while the long strap design is available in three colours.
Unlike its early 2000s predecessor, the iPhone Pocket is a limited-edition release. It will be sold at select stores globally, including in the U.S., Japan, China, France, England, South Korea, Italy and Taiwan, starting Nov. 14.
“The design of iPhone Pocket speaks to the bond between iPhone and its user, while keeping in mind that an Apple product is designed to be universal in aesthetic and versatile in use,” Yoshiyuki Miyamae, design director of Miyake Design Studio, said.
Marques Brownlee, an American YouTuber with more than 20 million subscribers and known for his videos reviewing technology devices, described the release of the iPhone pocket on X as “a litmus test for people who will buy/defend anything Apple releases,” noting the sling bag’s hefty price tag, before adding in a separate X post that the colours were “kinda fire.”
Some came to Apple’s defence, arguing that the price of the pocket could be justified because of the collaboration with Miyake.
Social media consultant and analyst Matt Navara told the BBC that the price tag seemed to be less about “function” and more about “form, branding and exclusivity.”
“This kind of pricing is not new in the world of luxury fashion or designer collabs,” he said. “But for most consumers, it feels like Apple is testing the limits of brand loyalty.”
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