The iPhone Pocket is Apple’s most ridiculous product since the iPod Sock

When ISSEY MIYAKE and Apple unveiled the iPhone Pocket this week, I checked my calendar to see if I can entered an alternative universe where it was April Fools Day.

Apparently not. Maybe I’m missing something, but the product seems ridiculous — even more so by its not-reasonable-by-any-standard pricing. However, many of the iPhone Pocket color and size combinations are already sold out, though, reports 9to5Mac.

Apple says the iPhone Pocket is inspired by the concept of “a piece of cloth” (no, really, that’s what the company said), its 3D-knitted construction is designed to fit any iPhone as well as all pocketable items. 

Here’s how Apple describes the product: iPhone Pocket features a ribbed open structure with the qualities of the original pleats by ISSEY MIYAKE. Born from the idea of creating an additional pocket, its understated design fully encloses iPhone, expanding to fit more of a user’s everyday items. When stretched, the open textile subtly reveals its contents and allows users to peek at their iPhone display. iPhone Pocket can be worn in a variety of ways — handheld, tied onto bags, or worn directly on the body. Featuring a playful color palette, the short strap design is available in eight colors, and the long strap design in three colors.

iPhone Pocket is a limited-edition release. The short strap design is available in lemon, mandarin, purple, pink, peacock, sapphire, cinnamon, and black; the long strap design is available in sapphire, cinnamon, and black. iPhone Pocket in the short strap design retails at US$149.95, and the long strap design at $229.95.

$149.95 to $229.95 for what is basically a big sock is price gouging even by Apple’s standards.

The company has released some questionable products (I’m looking at you, hockey puck mouse, and Pippin game machine), but the iPhone Pocket is the most what-where-they-thinking since Steve Jobs announced iPod Socks in October 2024. Even the legendary Jobs wasn’t immune to releasing a stinker, describing them as a “revolutionary new product” during  an Apple event keynote. Most folks laughed, thinking it was a joke. It wasn’t.

The $29 iPod Sock

However, the iPod Socks only cost $29. That sounds pretty reasonably compared to the iPhone Pocket, which is — let’s face — also just a bigger sock. 

I’m a sucker for Apple products. However, I’ll certainly pass on this one.

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