The idea of a twenty dollar polishing cloth is surreal in only the way Apple products can be, but it has also garnered a lot of attention—even to the point that it was sold out for a while. Maybe it’s just brilliant marketing. Maybe it’s something more.
Or, more likely, it is just a branded polishing cloth.
Regardless, I was curious, and couldn’t help myself, so I picked one up from the Apple Store to check it out.
Yes, this might be threading treading ground that’s already been covered but, if we are being honest, I just couldn’t not see what this was all about.
Let’s dive in!
Unboxing
It comes in a small, simple box with Apple’s typical minimalist design.
Admittedly, the novelty of getting a fancy polishing cloth evaporates once you get the box open and reality sets in that, yep, it’s just a branded polishing cloth.
Materials
The cloth itself is almost like a cut of leather, it has some weight and thickness to it. As a result, it can be a little difficult to bend and maneuver around smaller screens, like Apple Watch. Material-wise, it’s made of a good quality non-abrasive microfiber material, so there really is no concerns on it potentially damaging a screen.
Results
The polishing results across iPhone, iPad, and MacBook were all the same–it did a great job of polishing out finger prints, smudges, and other marks on the screens. It didn’t leave any marks and it was pretty easy to wipe away anything on the screen.
Maintenance and cleaning
According to Apple, there’s three steps to cleaning the cloth:
- Hand wash the polishing cloth with dish soap and water.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Allow the polishing cloth to air dry for at least 24 hours.
I haven’t yet had a need for doing this, but hopefully it will last over the course of a few washes as needed and not start to fall apart.
Was it worth it?
For the purposes of writing about it?
Absolutely.
If we are being honest, though, there’s plenty of other great options on Amazon (even multi-packs!) for much less. Outside of the novelty factor, it’s still just a microfiber polishing cloth. While it does a great job, it’s hard to justify the price otherwise.
But hey, it was fun to open, use and write about, so the experience alone could help justify the price.
Maybe.