Apple has just released a new product called the iPhone Pocket with Issey Miyake. For the first time in years, I looked at a new Apple item and asked, “Why?”
It comes in two versions: short and long, priced at $149.95 and $229.95, respectively. Honestly, I don’t see what problem this solves. Usually, Apple invents simple, smooth ideas or something that feels new. But this? It looks like a knitted sleeve pretending to be a new idea.
The iPhone Pocket is presented as a stylish, 3D knitted accessory inspired by Issey Miyake’s APOC concept. It’s a flexible, sculptural pouch you can wear over your shoulder or put in a bag. Apple says it’s about creativity and enjoying different ways to carry your phone. Miyake’s studio mentions words like “personal” and “sensory.”
But let’s be honest. It looks like a very fancy tube sock with a slit. And Apple knows exactly what they are doing: selling vibes, not solutions.
I’ve never wished for a long knitted pouch for my phone. My pockets are fine. My bag works too. At most, I might put my phone in a soft case to avoid scratches, but not for $229. Apple’s explanation about “changing the way people wear their products” feels more like a justification than a vision.
And I’m not the only one confused. Online reactions are brutal. Even Apple fans say this has been one of the weirdest launches in years. Some joke that Apple finally admitted their phones are so big now you need a bag to carry them. Others are upset that instead of real innovation, we get this fancy phone sock.
Many people are saying what a lot of us feel: “If Apple had just released a new small phone with a better processor, I would have bought it immediately. But this? No thanks.”
Apple says the iPhone Pocket can stretch to hold bare essentials. That’s fine, but other bags already do that. Issey Miyake has been making functional textile bags for decades. So, what is Apple really adding, just their logo and a higher price that could pay for a weekend trip?
Here’s the part that made me laugh: I showed the picture to my mom, who loves wool crafting and can imitate almost anything. She looked at it briefly and said, “I can make this in two or three hours.” And she meant it. Just some yarn, a bit of stitching, maybe ten dollars worth. Her version would have its own personality colors I like, textures I choose, not a machine-made, perfect tube with a luxury tag..
That’s when I realized my own pocket, sewn into my jeans and shaped by years of everyday use, feels more luxurious than this. My bag, which I chose for comfort and memories, is much more meaningful. It has personality. It’s mine.
The iPhone Pocket seems more about grabbing attention than fulfilling a real need. Apple created it to demonstrate that its logo can make almost anything look luxurious and desirable to many people.
Yes, people will buy it. Apple has shown many times that when a well-known brand combines a simple design, some people will think it’s innovative. But being “cool” shouldn’t just mean it costs a lot. It should also be helpful, well thought out, or at least clever. This product doesn’t meet that standard.
Apple may surprise us soon with a new device that truly embodies the future. But until then, I prefer to keep my real pockets.
Apple says the iPhone Pocket is about “the joy of wearing an iPhone in your own way.” That’s exactly why I don’t need theirs.
