Updated Nov. 16 with more details of U.S. and international sales of the iPhone Pocket and analysis of why it sold so fast.
The latest Apple release is the iPhone Pocket, designed in collaboration with Japanese fashion label Issey Miyake. It went on sale on Friday, Nov. 14 and in a matter of hours it was completely sold out at apple.com. Here’s why.
The iPhone Pocket is a way to carry your iPhone. “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,” as Apple described it when it was unveiled on Tuesday, Nov. 11. You can squeeze every iPhone from the original right up to the iPhone 17 Pro Max into it, and still have space for some other (small) items.
It immediately came under fire for being “a cut-up sock,” as one post on X read, adding, “Apple people will pay anything for anything as long as it’s Apple.”
It’s certainly been controversial (which actually may have helped it sell quickly). Fellow Forbes contributor John Koetsier who, while saying he’s “an almost-certifiable Apple fanboy,” nonetheless believes “the new iPhone Pocket might just be Apple’s lamest product ever.”
But the price may have been a red herring: a collab with Issey Miyake was never going to come cheap, and it was likely to attract the attention of a fashion-conscious crowd.
Since the price wasn’t an issue for such customers, it looks like the combination of the fashion name, the originality of the Pocket and, perhaps, the words “Special Edition,” which let users know this was going to be a limited release all made the new accessory appealing. Apple doesn’t partner with other brands often. Apple hasn’t said whether there will be more stocks arriving but the limited release suggests that there won’t. So, if you find it’s sold out now, it may mean it’s gone forever.
As Vogue pointed out, the Pocket marked “the tech brand’s first union with a fashion house since the Apple Watch Hermès in 2015.” Such a rare collaboration, and the fact that it is with such a prestige brand as Issey Miyake, will also have accelerated sales.
So, perhaps it’s not surprising that within a tiny number of hours, every color in each length is marked as sold out on apple.com in the U.S. Since there are eight different colors on the shorter Pocket and three on the longer one, there seems to have been interest in every version of the Pocket.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s Samantha Kelly reported on the lines outside the SoHo store in New York. She was told the first color to sell out was the “teal turquoise color,” enjoyably called peacock by Apple.
She also reported that celebrated content creator Michael Josh, “who wore a navy pleated Miyake suit for the occasion and bought several iPhone Pockets, said some people may not get the hype, but he believes the accessories are like owning a piece of art or a fashion collectible,” she said.
I think Josh is right and he’s spot-on in his description of one of the key reasons why it’s proved so popular.
The New York Times has an interesting take on how partnerships like this between fashion and tech can prove profitable. “This move is Apple’s latest in the fashion realm. The brand has collaborated with Hermès, the French luxury house and maker of the Birkin bag, for the last decade, creating watch bands as well as holders for its AirTags. These tie-ups are part of a growing trend as more tech and fashion brands lean on one another. Meta has been in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban and Oakley, since 2019, introducing a slew of smart glasses. Other labels, including Chanel and Sandy Liang, have found a way to tap into the tech consumer,” it reported.
Cnet described the Pocket as a “gadget mankini,” referring to the longer size. Reporter Bridget Carey tried it out. “I’ll hook my Labubu off it, too. After all, this is Apple’s Labubu now, a hard-to-find fashion accessory that hangs on your bag,” she suggested.
On Nov. 14, there were still items available outside the U.S.: apple.com/uk has availability of every color of iPhone Pocket in the short size, but the long models are all sold out. As of Nov. 15, however, most short models were also sold out. Black, peacock, pink, purple and mandarin are all sold out in the U.K., while lemon, cinnamon and sapphire are currently still available. It’s likely, given that five colors sold out overnight, that it will only be a matter of days or less before all options are gone.
Since Issey Miyake is a Japanese brand, it’s perhaps no surprise that all options are already sold out there, too.
For a more up-to-date report on availability, check this out.
Something that initially received a fair bit of shade is proving to be a sell-out success for Apple.