Apple's Monday event saw the tech giant adding a new product to its lineup: a Polishing Cloth. The cloth, made of "soft, non-abrasive material," is available to purchase on Apple's store - but only if you are willing to shell out Rs 1,900. While the Polishing Cloth comes with Apple's signature logo in one corner, it's not immediately clear what sets it apart from other microbfiber cloths in the market that are sold at a fraction of the price.
For comparison, premium microfiber cloths go for around $1.50 each on Amazon. According to a Bloomberg report, this puts Apple's polishing accessory (which retails for $19 in the US) in the running for its highest-margin physical product.
Apple says that its latest accessory will "safely and effectively" clean any Apple display. It is compatible with almost all Apple products, including iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, according to the company's listing on its online stores. But while the Polishing Cloth is already in short supply - requiring three to four weeks to ship in certain parts of the world - reactions on social media were less than impressed.
Many called Apple out for overpricing the accessory.
"Apple has the audacity to sell a piece of cloth for $19," wrote one Twitter user.
Some branded it "peak capitalism"
While others were amused by Apple adding a compatibility list for the cloth
There were memes galore on Twitter
Apple has a history of pushing price boundaries with its products, with each new release prompting a slew of now-predictable jokes about its pricing. The iPhone, in fact, was the first smartphone to breach the $1,000 mark, according to Bloomberg. However, unlike the Polishing Cloth, Apple's laptops and smartphones usually earn positive reviews for their features and capabilities.
