Whenever Apple launches new products, the internet, nay, the world, seems to go into overdrive. The hype is hard to contain. Well, apparently. But with the last batch, everyone was going crazy over a $19 polishing cloth.
Has the world gone mad, or is this truly the greatest piece of cloth ever sold?
More importantly ... what's it like when you use it to wipe a Surface? Bet Tim Cook didn't see that one coming.
The $19 Apple Polishing Cloth
Lots of us like to be critical of the so-called "Apple tax" and the inflated prices compared to the competition. And I have to say, hand on heart, there might be something to it with this polishing cloth, guys.
It's got a lot to live up to if it wants to replace the Razer polishing cloth I currently wipe my mucky fingerprints away with. And that one was free.
The unboxing experience is quite something, though. That is to say, there is an unboxing experience. It's mad enough that a courier delivered this, knocked on my door, and handed it to me, proudly passing on another Apple delivery to an eager owner. Wonder what he would have said if I'd told him it was a cloth?
This really is the GOAT of polishing cloths.
Once you peel back the tape and pull apart the tabs, you're greeted with something quite magical. On first impressions, this really is the GOAT of polishing cloths. It looks so pretty, nestled there in its white security blanket as it makes its grand debut into the world.
And kudos to Apple. This is the first polishing cloth I've ever owned that came with paperwork. You don't see that attention to detail everywhere.
So true to Apple's usual form, it looks nice and costs quite a lot of money. But what's it like to use?
Wipe all the things
Is it heresy to wipe down a Surface Go 2 with an Apple Polishing Cloth? I mean, I have an iPad, but that's no fun, is it? So, the wipe test. What's this thing truly made of. I had my doubts, after all, Apple's description doesn't mention non-Apple products:
"Made with soft, non-abrasive material, the Polishing Cloth cleans any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively. "
It's pretty magical, though. It glides across the display, demolishing smudges and fingerprints with ease. And it's so soft in the hand, wiping away the greasy finger marks from last night's kebab is a joy. It's effortless. I don't know how Apple did it, I really don't.
It's so good I found myself wanting to wipe everything. My phone, my laptop, my kids' faces (OK, not that last one really). How can a bit of cloth be so good?
Apple has succeeded pretty well in making you want to clean up after yourself and make your devices a little less disgusting every day.
On a serious note to close out, I won't tell you not to buy a $19 polishing cloth if you really want to. I buy dumb things all the time. It is genuinely a good cloth, but $19? Really, Apple?
There are more questions to be asked about why this thing costs so much than I care to begin with. The Apple Tax is alive and well, folks.
It's a polishing cloth that costs $19.
