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He remembers iPod socks? Those brightly colored wool covers that wrapped your iPod like it was a baby? Apple has sold them starting in 2004 for the better part of a decade. In things we didn’t have on our bingo card for 2025, Apple decided it was time to bring back knitwear for the latest iPhone.
Meet iPhone pocket:Glorious yarn ropes for you phone And whatever else you can cram in there without causing the poor thing to forget. If we’re being spiteful, it looks like a jacket that shrunk in the wash and then tried to stretch. Or maybe a Mankini.
But hey, this could be the zhuzh you’re looking for.
Watch this: Putting Apple’s iPhone pocket to the test
The iPhone Pocket is on sale now, but you can’t walk into any old Apple Store and get it. Apple is selling the device in 10 select shopping areas, such as SoHo in New York, Regent Street in London, Marché Saint-Germain in Paris, and Orchard Road in Singapore. Everyone else will have to order it online as if it were from Temu.
High fashion doesn’t come cheap. The short belt design will It sets you back $150while the belt is long The copy costs $230.
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We get our hands on the iPhone Pocket
On Friday, the first day the iPhone Pocket went on sale, CNET’s Bridget Carey bought one of the tall and short versions (blue and pink, respectively) at the fashion-focused Apple Store in SoHo, Apple’s only retail store in the United States. There customers can try out the woven slings hands-on, giving the pocket an extension or a sample of inserting their iPhone into it.
The back case for this short pink iPhone pocket is the Issey Miyake Bao Bao bag.
The taller, cross-body model held Carey’s phone securely, and she felt confident wearing it in New York all day. She also put her through some impromptu tests. “I was swinging it and stuffing other things in it,” she said. “I tied it around my neck like a scarf and put it on my feet like a sock.”
So far, the pocket has maintained its shape. The material has some life to it, and Carrie thinks she can take it on missions with her kids and not have to worry. But it is not tough enough for the washing machine. The instructions inside say the pocket should be hand washed and should not be placed in the dryer.
One of Apple’s suggestions for accessorizing with the iPhone Pocket, if you’re not wearing a crossbody bag, is to attach it to the bag you’re carrying. This wasn’t Carey’s first inclination. “I’m not sure I would feel comfortable hanging my phone like a keychain on my purse,” she said. “But I still wanted a cropped pocket because I wanted to have a little bit of fashion history. And I love pink.”
If you go the pocket route, Carrie said, “I’ll hang my Labubu from it, too. After all, this is Apple’s Labubu now, a hard-to-find fashion accessory that hangs on your bag.”
iPhone pocket fashion sense
Apple designed the iPhone Pocket in collaboration with a fashion brand Issey Miyakethe designer Behind the endless parade of black jackets worn by Steve Jobs (and the Apple employee uniform that almost happened).
I’m not a fashion expert, but I am a fashion writer Tiffany Lou “The design embodies Issey Miyake’s signature pleating pattern and the idea of being made from a single piece of fabric. It is instantly recognizable,” she told me.
It certainly has a questionable design. At least there are plenty of colors to choose from.
The iPhone Pocket is a 3D knit stretchy case with ribbed texture that cradles your iPhone. It’s transparent when you pull it out, so you can peek at your lock screen. But Apple wants you to put more than your iPhone into this accessory. You have been encouraged to slip AirpodsOr lip balm, a keychain, a mint, or anything else that can fit in a pocket. The shorter iPhone pocket resembles a wrist bag, while the longer one turns your iPhone into a cross-body accessory.
A wearable tech bag is definitely a fashion statement if you decide to drape it over your torso, perhaps like a scarf from questionable decisions. Whether you hold it in your hand, strap it to your bag, or wear it like a modern postman, you’ll definitely get some looks, perhaps even confused ones. The short strap version comes in eight colors: lemon, tangerine, lilac, pink, peacock, ruby, cinnamon, and black. The long belt only comes in these last three colors.
If nothing else, you can’t claim that Apple hasn’t given much thought to the colors available.
So who is the iPhone Pocket phone for? Lo says it “could appeal to younger generations thanks to the design that allows users to wear it as a crossbody bag.” Given that Apple released Straps across the body For all the iPhones it launched earlier this year, it probably has some ideas about what Gen Z really wants. Is it worth $230 or even $150? Yes or no, it’s a far cry from the price of $29 iPod socks back in the day.