Apple's US$19 screen-cleaning cloth sets high bar for brand extras

[TOKYO] Apple's biggest debut on Monday (Oct 18) was undoubtedly its MacBook Pro overhaul, but the company also unveiled a polishing cloth with its signature logo debossed in one corner. Price tag? US$19.

The accessory, listed as compatible with iPhones as far back as the iPhone 6 and Macs dating back to 2012, is made of non-abrasive material and is already in short supply, requiring 3 to 4 weeks to ship. On Amazon.com, premium microfibre cloths go for US$1.50 each, putting Apple's new Polishing Cloth in the running for its highest-margin physical product.

The Cupertino, California-based company has a history of pushing price boundaries with its products and accessories. The iPhone was the first smartphone to approach and surpass the US$1,000 mark and it's only grown in popularity since then, dragging the rest of the mobile industry along.

In 2019, Apple introduced an updated Mac Pro with a top configuration option costing more than US$50,000. The accompanying Pro Display XDR monitor sells for US$4,999 - without a stand. The Pro Stand that Apple sells is a further US$999.

Purchasing the new MacBook Pro 16-inch model with an M1 Max processor, 8TB of storage and an abundance of memory would set buyers back in excess of US$6,000. Like the Polishing Cloth, such a machine would take as long as 4 weeks to ship, though unlike the cloth, the laptop has cutting-edge features and capabilities that have earned positive responses online.

In 2015, it introduced the Apple Watch Edition, a US$17,000 wearable with 18-karat gold casing. But customers baulked at paying so much for technology that would quickly become outdated. Apple later struck a balance between luxury and practicality with its watches. It now has watch bands for US$49 and a Hermes Fauve Barenia Gourmette Double Tour version for US$849.

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