The spiritual successor to the iPod Sock, Apple's new iPhone Pocket, is sold out across the US, in both sizes, and all colors despite its high cost.
Longtime Apple users immediately saw the resemblance with the old iPod socks, and everyone saw the price. Apple and Japan's Issey Miyake fashion house partnered to create a limited edition iPhone Pocket, a stretched sock-like bag or shoulder strap.
There was no denying that an iPhone in this Pocket looked snuggly. There was definitely no denying that the accessory was well designed.
There's also no question that it was about as goofy as the iPod Sock from back the in the day.
But there was every denying of the price. The iPhone Pocket came in a short version for $150, and a longer one for $230.
For comparison, the Apple Watch SE starts at $250.
As ever, though, if you liked it, if you had a use for it, and if you had the budget, there was no reason left not to buy.
But if you have hesitated because of the cost, you are now out of luck. There are none left in the US.
Or China. Or France.
Presumably there is at least one iPhone Pocket in one size and one color, still yet to be available somewhere in a physical Apple Store at some point. But while it is the online store that is reporting everything is sold out, it is also saying that there are none available for in-store pickup.
Or nearly none. At time of writing, you can still order the short version in any color from the UK online Apple Store, but even there Apple appears to have run out of the longer one.
Unlike when an iPhone sells out, too, the iPhone Pocket has not gone on backorder. This is a limited edition, and it looks like we've hit that limit.
Demand or a website bug
There is something a little odd about the iPhone Pocket on the online Apple Store, though. For instance, the store in some countries list the short and long versions separately, while others don't.
Normally Apple is absolutely rigidly the same in how it lists items. And here, whether they list two versions or not, you can go into any iPhone Pocket listing and switch sizes or colors.
Or you could. Maybe there is just something still being worked out in the online Apple Store backend processing, or maybe it truly has sold out from demand.
Apple never says how many of any product it has made, but it did make a slight exception by calling this a limited or special edition. Perhaps Apple has made exactly how many as there were people willing to buy them.
Though if Apple has got that wrong, expect to see the iPhone Pocket turning up on eBay for even more money.
And you should possibly also expect to read articles about how the iPhone Pocket is more popular than the iPhone Air. And probably the iPhone Sock too.
