Apple just launched a $230 iPhone sock, and I hope Android OEMs don't copy it

Apple is no stranger to selling overpriced accessories, but the company may have taken the cake with its latest product. Say hello to the iPhone Pocket, and no, it’s not a smaller iPhone.

Apple announced the iPhone Pocket today, which is effectively a smartphone sock on a sling. The product has been designed in collaboration with Issey Miyake and can be tied to a bag or worn like a bag or sling bag. In addition to carrying your iPhone, the company says it can also carry “everyday items.”

The real kicker is the price, though. Expect to pay a starting price of $149.95 for the iPhone Pocket with the short strap, while the long strap variant will set you back $229.95. The accessory goes on sale from November 14 at select stores in the US, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK. The short strap model is available in black, cinnamon, lemon, mandarin, peacock, pink, purple, and sapphire. The long strap variant is only available in black, cinnamon, and sapphire.

I guess Apple is banking on fashion-conscious users buying the iPhone Pocket. But if you’re like me and don’t have good taste (or the desire to spend a lot of cash on a phone sock with a sling), there’s no shortage of sling bags and other ways to carry your phone around. It also comes a while after the company released other pricey accessories, like a $19 cleaning cloth and a $700 set of wheels for the Mac Pro.

In saying so, I really hope Android OEMs don’t follow suit and offer their own overpriced phone socks or phone slings. But given the industry’s history of following Apple (even if it wasn’t first with some innovations), I wouldn’t be surprised if some Android makers blindly hopped aboard this bandwagon.