When the "Unleashed" Apple event wrapped up a few weeks ago, the first thing
I did was run over to the Apple store to see if any new unannounced
accessories had been added. Sure enough, a handful of new ones were. But
only one of them stood out:
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/18/apple-introduces-new-polishing-cloth-for-all
-devices-sold-separately-for-19/> the polishing cloth. It's taken the world
by storm, so much so in fact that it's backordered up to nearly 12 weeks.
Luckily, I was able to get my hands on one and I've been using it rigorously
over the past week.
Unboxing experience
Let's start with the unboxing experience. The Apple polishing cloth comes in
a slim white box, just as you might expect. But unlike other Apple
accessories, this box is a bit different. It opens like an envelope,
revealing the polishing cloth nicely folded up behind a lip. It's a wide box
for what this product is, but when you open it, it's instantly clear why.
Apple doesn't want any creases or fold marks on the cloth out of the box,
and so they've carefully folded it in a teardrop shape to prevent any
markings.
Between either side of the cloth is a small piece of paper that explains how
to use it. Apple's card inside says that it's "Safe for use on all Apple
displays and surfaces. For infrequent cleaning of hard-to-remove smudges on
nano-texture glass, a 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution may be used."
Device compatibility
The listing on <http://apple.com/> Apple.com even lays out every single
product that they believe it is compatible with. Surprisingly, there are
several omissions though. For example, Apple says the polishing cloth is
only compatible starting with the first-generation iPhone SE, the
first-generation iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod touch. Even the
oldest Mac that they say is compatible is only from 2015. One wonders if the
materials selected for the cloth would be too abrasive or harmful in some
way to Apple's older glass formulations. The polishing cloth is luckily
compatible with non-Apple devices as well. I've been able to clean smudges
off my Pixel 6 quickly and efficiently.
Design and materials
Apple's polishing cloth is made from "soft, nonabrasive material" but the
company doesn't specify what that material is.
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/28/apple-polishing-cloth-teardown-ifixit/>
iFixit's experts believe that the material is the same microfiber that lines
the iPad Smart Cover. Another reference would be Microsoft's Alcantara
keyboard covers, but slightly softer.
On the front side of the cloth is an embossed Apple logo. It's subtle but
quintessentially Apple. It's placed in the lower right corner, so it stays
out of the way but still reminds you it's Apple's premium cloth.
There's a thin light gray edge that wraps around the perimeter of the cloth,
holding two pieces of the nonabrasive material together. The material is
just thick enough to feel high end, but still thin enough to feel like an
Apple product.
Cleaning the cloth
I'd recommend being careful with the Apple polishing cloth. The light gray
color could easily get quite dirty if used to clean up liquids or other
types of marks that may have been left by food. If you do this and want a
new one, good luck finding one until 2022.
It's unclear currently if there are safe ways to clean the polishing cloth.
It's certainly possible that it can be hand washed or thrown in a washing
machine. But since we aren't quite sure what it's made of, I would avoid
trying anything too crazy.
How does it compare
Apple's cloth is nicer than any other one that I've used. In fact, it's even
nicer than any of the cloths Apple has shipped with some devices in the
past, like the one that came with the original iPhone. But the company does
ship a cloth currently with the Pro Display XDR and 27-inch nano-texture
iMac, intended for specific use cases. It appears that the new cloth is
nearly identical to the one packed with these machines, but we aren't 100%
certain.
Recommended accessories
Apple recommends a handful of accessories to pair with the polishing cloth.
The first one is the Mac Pro Wheels Kit. Apple's wheels are quite shiny and
made from stainless steel, so a polishing cloth is something you should have
around if you want to keep them squeaky clean. Other accessories that Apple
recommends you pair with the cloth include the Mac Pro Feet Kit, the Pro
Stand, and AirPods Pro.
What's next
We certainly hope that Apple will continue to innovate in this category. It
would be great to see them ship polishing cloth in other colors, like space
gray or pink sand. Like AirTag they could even ship a pack of them. We'll
just have to wait and see what 2022 has in store for Apple polishing cloth.
<https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MM6F3AM/A/polishing-cloth> Apple's
polishing cloth is priced at $19.00 and is sold both in Apple retail stores
and on <http://apple.com/> Apple.com.
9to5mac
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