‘A sock for your iPhone’: China reacts to Apple’s $266 accessory

On November 11, Apple unveiled a new iPhone accessory created in collaboration with Japanese design house Issey Miyake: the iPhone Pocket. The launch immediately sparked vigorous debate across Chinese social media. As the name suggests, the iPhone Pocket is designed to fit any iPhone as well as all pocketable items. According to Apple’s official website, it draws inspiration from the concept of “a piece of cloth” from Issey Miyake, featuring a singular 3D-knitted construction and a ribbed open structure. It can be worn in a variety of ways — handheld, tied onto bags, or worn directly on the body. What really made this “piece of cloth” go viral, however, wasn’t the collaboration itself but its eye-watering price: 1,299 RMB ($182) for the short-strap version and 1,899 RMB ($266) for the long-strap design. On Xiaohongshu, user @marcotion commented, “Apple just released a pair of 1,299 RMB socks for your iPhone,” while user @LLL joked, “Was this thing made so you can turn your phone into meteor-hammer mode when you’re in danger?” Other netizens questioned its practicality, pointing out that most people still prefer to hold their phones or slip them straight into their pockets, making it difficult to justify spending four figures on a phone bag that has yet to become a mainstream accessory. Within Apple’s broader product universe, the iPhone Pocket does have a role to play. “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 in a statement. The iPhone Pocket was likely never intended as a volume driver. For consumers who chase both tech and fashion, it is poised to become a niche collectible — a marker of identity. For Apple, the launch signals a bolder ambition to move deeper into the realms of fashion and culture.

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‘A sock for your iPhone’: China reacts to Apple’s $266 accessory