Apple Tries Selling $230 iPhone Pocket 'Sock' (apple.com) 65
Longtime Slashdot reader dskoll shares a press release from Apple: Issey Miyake and Apple today unveiled iPhone Pocket. Inspired by the concept of "a piece of cloth," its singular 3D-knitted construction is designed to fit any iPhone as well as all pocketable 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. The "Long" sock variant comes in at only $229.95 and is available in three elegant colors: sapphire, cinnamon, and black. What do Slashdotters think of this very real product?
Shark (Score:3)
Jumped.
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Apple, products marketed by a gay man for straight women.
Slow news day?
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This will be cloned in China before they even ship it. Is it for sale on Aliexpress yet?
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I think this actually for people who have too much money, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Re: Shark (Score:2)
This is a I don't know what to buy you for Xmas but this was sufficiently expensive enough gift.
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I don't know about the rest of you, but to me it looks like the sleeve of a knitted sweater with the cuff sewn shut. I guess the slit down the middle adds some functionality that would take a few minutes to add.
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https://people.com/thmb/4qnlqIrjdWZ9D_WJgTGQA5uwsVQ=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(678x19:680x21)/Bethenny-Frankel-Feels-Like-Borat-In-Plunging-Pink-One-Piece-Swimsuit-051223-3-5e40037d18fa4f8b8ae52c3bedffedca.jpg
Short AAPL (Score:2)
On the one hand, this tempts me to short Apple stock.
On the other hand, it's entirely possible that my sentiments are not widely shared and they'll make money off of this.
Re: Short AAPL (Score:1)
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Re: Short AAPL (Score:3)
People will either buy it or ignore it. Not the first silly product from them that most of us will not remember.
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There will be iPhone sockets on AliExpress, hand made, for 10 bucks, within a week.
Better to buy those, because more of the money goes to the person who actually made the sock.
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It just seems like a dumb product idea. But you're right, if it sells, they'll make a lot on it.
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It's a "knitted cell phone holder", plenty of them on Etsy. It's not a dumb idea by itself, only overpriced. As it is signed by a famous fashion designer, it's more ugly and less functional than normal ones, and sells for 10x the market price of such an item, but qualifies you into an exclusive club among your like-minded friends. It's like designer spectacles that are super awful bulky plastic and serve the purpose of letting everybody around see you afford branded products.
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It's not a dumb idea by itself, only overpriced.
It is a dumb idea. You store the phone at a location where it's easy to lose, but hard to get when you need it. Indeed, movement of the ankle while walking will slowly push the phone out of the pocket. And when you need your phone (for texting, or for accessing the internet), you need to kneel all the way down to get it.
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It's not a dumb idea by itself, only overpriced.
It is a dumb idea. You store the phone at a location where it's easy to lose, but hard to get when you need it. Indeed, movement of the ankle while walking will slowly push the phone out of the pocket. And when you need your phone (for texting, or for accessing the internet), you need to kneel all the way down to get it.
This. It is easy to steal as well. Apple is doing one of their occasional farts. They even have the pumpkin spice iPhone. Fortunately they still have tasteful iPhones. I'm an Apple products guy, but if all they had was that orange abomination, I'd wait until they regained their sanity before buying my next phone
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They're literally selling a 50c item for $150 - $230.
It's nonsense to call this is "a 50 cent item".
A skein of a good quality yarn is gonna set you back several bucks.
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How can they not make money off it? They can have a hundred of them in inventory for each one sold, and they'd still make a profit.
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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
The thing I wonder about is who is the target audience?maybe the people Jaguar was trying to influence? https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com].
I know a lot of iPhone users. I don't know any who would want that weird thing. I suppose they will sell a few, but not too many.
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On the one hand, this tempts me to short Apple stock.
On the other hand, it's entirely possible that my sentiments are not widely shared and they'll make money off of this.
They've had failed products before this. And this one will definitely fail Even their models look embarrassed in the pictures.
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https://9to5mac.com/2025/11/14/new-iphone-pocket-now-available-to-order-but-its-selling-out-fast/ [9to5mac.com]
"Many of the iPhone Pocket color and size combinations are already sold out, though."
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/hs8j2zm/a/iphone-pocket-by-issey-miyake-short-black [apple.com]
Since the article was posted, all variations are sold out online.
Not as bad a call as the original Slashdot take on the iPod, but just goes to show that Slashdotters are not an important demographic.
It's not just a sock! (Score:2, Insightful)
It's an iSock!!!
Good grief. The worst part is I know they're going to sell a bunch of 'em.
"It MUST be better... it's from Apple!" Blat.
Dup (Score:3)
https://apple.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org]
meh - whats 2 days ago....
Re:Dup (Score:5, Funny)
Well, socks do usually come as a pair.
Already Covered (Score:2)
Apple has given iPhone a sock. (Score:5, Funny)
iPhone is FREEEEEEEEE!
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OH! FINALLY!
Sheesh, it's taken me two freakin' days (and a dupe) to get your joke!
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iPhone is FREEEEEEEEE!
The one person who's been avoiding Harry Potter his entire life is probably like "A free iPhone when you buy a sock? Huh?"
April fools? (Score:1)
Thieves will love it (Score:2)
Discreet pickpocket, the snip of a London-style moped grab. Whichever you prefer, the sock will be your favourite gadget this season. Just so you can suck those suckers who bought it a little bit more.
Re: Thieves will love it (Score:2)
or*
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Re: Thieves will love it (Score:2)
This could be a new weapon in prisons. Forget soap bars. Just put a smuggled iPhone in a sock and beat someone up with it instead.
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Why are ypu surprised? (Score:1, Insightful)
This for (not even very rich) people who want fashion accessories.
Have you taken a look at hermes-branded stuff at apple? Or anything else that has a designers name mentioned?
This is just another useless apple bad -story.
What does C stand for? (Score:2)
The C in Tim Cook stands for "Can't innovate anymore."
Re: What does C stand for? (Score:2)
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"Is that an iSock in your pocket" (Score:2)
...or are you just happy to see Siri?
Way long ago... (Score:3)
I remember, back in the day, buying (or being gifted) some iPod Socks. At $30 for a set of six, they seemed a bit overpriced... but they were occasionally handy to have.
I can't imagine why anyone would spend 6-8 times as much for a single sock - even one with a strap.
It is Apple (Score:2)
Paying a lot more than makes sense is part of the experience.
Have your grandmother knit you one (Score:2)
Lol. What a piece of garbage at that price.
For some yarn.
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How else were they supposed to get rid of that warehouse of unsold Borat Mankinis?
Simply renaming them was brilliant marketing
Idiocracy (Score:2)
Buy a phone instead (Score:2)
You can buy a whole smartphone for the price of that stupid sock.
I like... (Score:2)
This reminds me of that horrific mankini that Borat wore
Cute to rage against something like this (Score:1)
A few years ago there were fugly phone cases for 10.000$ which sold like hotcakes to show anyone that you have soooo much money you don't really know what to do with it.
Interesting engineering and terrible PR (Score:4, Interesting)
There actually is an engineering side to this called A-POC. But first, all the comments in both threads are kind of bizarre. Issey Miyake (who is not alive) is a famous Japanese high-end fashion designer famous for pleated designs, dance costumes, impractical appearing dramatic but unique products.
Personally I have no interest in it but to clarify just google "Miyake piece of cloth" or read the Design Boom article here:
https://www.designboom.com/des... [designboom.com]
Or as google summarizes, "Piece of fabric" refers to A-POC (A Piece of Cloth), a revolutionary Issey Miyake project that uses computer-driven machines to create garments from a single piece of fabric. Miyake makes all kinds of wardrobe from this process. Designboom has covered various projects under this concept, such as a collaboration with Apple on a 3D-knitted "iPhone pocket" and an exhibition with Nature Architects exploring heat-reactive fabrics. A-POC was launched in 1998. It was developed by Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara with the goal of streamlining production. An industrial knitting or weaving machine is fed a single thread and programmed to produce a single, continuous tube of fabric. Seams are pre-woven into the fabric, and the customer can cut along these lines to create individual garments like dresses, shirts, and socks. This process minimizes fabric waste and allows for mass production of varied clothing items from a single, seamless piece of cloth. The concept continues with the brand A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE, which explores the technology's potential beyond clothing. For example, a 2025 collaboration with Apple, reported by Designboom, resulted in the "iPhone Pocket," a 3D-knitted wearable accessory. Another project collaborated with Nature Architects to develop "Steam Stretch" fabric that contracts when exposed to heat. Designboom has also covered exhibitions related to the A-POC concept, such as "Weaving Becomes an Act of Illumination" which explored creating fabrics with tonal gradients by varying weave density, and the "A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE & atelier oï" installation that showed a single piece of cloth can be used for both clothing and lighting.
So calling the product a "sock" is pretty much the most pejorative, stupid take on this and reflects exceedingly badly on anyone who repeats it.. unless that's what the Miyake or Apple people are calling it, kind of doubt that, but at least they know that it is a 3D automated tubular knitting computer output and not a fucking athletic sock. Anyway google and there are a lot of articles about it.
Looking at the PR, the picture of the iPhone peeking out from a beige carrier actually suggests it is quite a luxurious piece and the only photo in which it looks good. It suggests that the woven fabric likely delivers a very satisfying soft tactile sensation, which might outweigh all other considerations for many people once they touch it. The post shows the carrier as being able to knot itself around the strap of a handbag (Miyake's famous Baobab design using articulated triangles.. which is so popular now it is a little cringey). It is being launched at just Apple's premier addresses, probably every Baobab owner would be buying a MacBook so I get that.
Anyway, this is just a fashion accessory for people rich enough to be able to afford a mid to high range MacBook (already several thousand dollars). The colors are intended to be chosen apparently depending on whether your Baobab bag is black or white themed. Personally I don't really think most colors match, or even go well with that bag, and I don't have any desire for the carrier itself. But I expect a lot more people would buy it than the 24K solid gold Apple Watches that I thought were finished, but now I found something like on leronza.com which has full gold bracelets attached to them.. sheesh. More than I even wanted to know.
Anyway this is the only post on two threads that actually k
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My Quadra 650 has 128 MB of RAM.
Tries? (Score:1)
They're not trying to sell it. They're selling it.
They already did engineering, and probably most of the production run, and they are putting it on sale.
only $229.95...lol. Is this April 1st ??? (Score:2)
As seen on Aliexpress (Score:2)
Those Temu sellers invent all kinds of crazy shit.
Over-priced? (Score:1)
Aimed At The Money (Score:2)
Currently available at:
Apple Canton Road, Hong Kong
Apple Ginza, Tokyo
Apple Jing’an, Shanghai
Apple Marché Saint-Germain, Paris
Apple Myeongdong, Seoul
Apple Orchard Road, Singapore
Apple Piazza Liberty, M
Pretentious garbage (Score:2)
Are people at Apple just sitting around sniffing their own farts and stroking each other off? I'd bet my entire 401k that all of the people involved in the design and marketing of this jizz rag have the word visionary in their LinkedIn headlin
Coming this fall ... (Score:2)
Coming this fall, from the people who brought you the *banana* hammock ...
Tell your grandma (Score:1)