The iPhone Pocket allows its owner to carry their phone around like a bag, slung around the shoulder or arm. The phone itself sits lightly in the material, allowing people to take it out or put it in easily.
The pocket was created in collaboration with fashion brand Issey Miyake and borrows from the designers’ trademark pleats.
Apple said the idea was “born from the idea of creating an additional pocket”. “The design drew inspiration from the concept of ‘a piece of cloth’ and reinterpreted the everyday utility of the brand’s iconic pleated clothing,” the company wrote in its announcement.
It was created as a collaboration between Apple’s design studio and Issey Mayake, the company said. Though they are being sold from Apple stores, they include the branding of the latter.
The pocket with the short strap costs $150, and the one with the long strap costs $230.
The pocket immediately drew mockery over its price. “This feels like a litmus test for people who will buy/defend anything Apple releases,” wrote popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
They come in a range of colours, and Apple said they had been chosen to allow customers to “mix and match with all our iPhone models”.
The pockets will be sold online at Apple as well as in a very limited number of stores.