Apple has teamed up with an artist named Bailey Hikawa to create the iPhone Grip and Stand Thingamajig. The appropriately named Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand is a MagSafe compatible device that snaps onto the iPhone. The grip can be “easily removed” and also serves as a stand.
To that end, it supports two different viewing angles, both vertical and horizontal. Apple says the ergonomic form factor was “designed with accessibility from the ground in mind” and that Hikawa was given “direct input from individuals with disabilities that impact muscle strength, dexterity, and hand control.”
Bailey Hikawa/Apple
It is also intended to be a work of art, as it was “inspired by modern sculpture”. This is why the price is likely to increase. The Grip is available in two colors, both priced at $70. Generic grips cost around $10 on Amazon or big-box retailers, but Hikawa has been making remarkable phone cases for years. She also makes attractive toilet seats.
This leads us to the woven elephant in the room. Apple last week introduced a quirky knitted sleeve intended to hold iPhones. This, uh, phone sock starts at $150 and goes up to $230. The idea of spending $150 on a tiny woven bag for a smartphone has, understandably, upset some consumers and sparked outrage across the Internet.