With the news that Apple has released an eyebrow-raising $149 knitted sleeve called the iPhone Pocket (at a whopping $249 in Long size)1, I am reminded of a much more affordable and practical product from Native Union – the now-discontinued AirPods Beanies.
Modeled after the iPod Sock, the AirPods Beanies are a set of 4 cloth sleeves for your AirPods, one in each color – my partner and I have been sharing them for the last four years. Designed to slide over the AirPods case, the sleeve protects them in your pocket from scratches or dings, plus gives it a bit of grip to avoid sliding out of your pocket when sitting back in a chair.
I love my AirPods Beanies and hope to see Native Union bring them back, especially at the $19.99 price. Until then, you can see their retrospective from the launch, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of the iPod.
On the actual iPhone Pocket itself – I am not immediately in love with the price, or the aesthetics, or reality of what it’s like to use this product. But that’s not really the point – it’s a collaboration with a designer, and an exploration of a product.
Last year, Apple featured the Tech21 FlexPro Case, which includes a wrist strap or a cross-body strap – I used it for my trip to Spain for my App Intents conference talk.
This year, they’ve now released the Crossbody Strap for iPhone:
The Crossbody Strap is designed to attach to select Apple cases for a convenient and hands-free way to wear iPhone.
Beautifully crafted from 100 percent recycled PET yarns, the smooth, narrow woven straps drape comfortably across the body.
Embedded flexible magnets with stainless steel sliding mechanisms allow you to effortlessly adjust the length for the perfect fit, while keeping both straps securely and neatly aligned.
Perhaps we’ll see something similar from Apple themselves in response to the iPhone Pocket? AirPods Socks?
Read the blog post from Native Union, plus check out their current line of AirPods cases.
Or get the iPhone Pocket or get the Crossbody Strap from Apple, and read the press release from Apple Newsroom.
- For an actual explanation, here’s the product description from Apple:
“iPhone Pocket is a collaboration between Apple and ISSEY MIYAKE. Based upon a mutual respect and shared approach to design, it’s inspired by the concept of “a piece of cloth” and features a singular 3D-knitted construction designed to fully enclose iPhone, while expanding to fit your everyday items.
Featuring a ribbed mesh structure with the qualities of the original pleats patented by ISSEY MIYAKE, iPhone Pocket is a beautiful way to wear and carry iPhone. When stretched, the open textile subtly reveals its contents and allows you to peek at your iPhone display. Born out of the idea of creating an additional pocket, while also being playful and versatile, iPhone Pocket is available in a short strap length (in eight colors), and a long strap length (in three colors), suitable for a variety of wearing styles – handholding, tying onto bags, or wearing directly on your body.” ↩
