Apple's expensive iPhone accessory spree lands Hikawa grip to hold it right
After the quirky and pricey iPhone Pocket carry pouch developed by Issey Miyake, Apple has released another designer collaboration effort, the Nikawa iPhone Grip and Stand.
While the iPhone Pocket seems designed to augment the trend of baggy pocketless clothing, the grip accessory has been developed with accessibility in mind
Hikawa iPhone grip price and colors
- $69.95
- Crater
- Chartreuse
The Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand as Apple officially calls the new designer accessory is MagSafe compatible and attaches with magnets on the back of the iPhone. At first blush, nothing different from the popular PopSocket accessory available on Amazon at half the price.
Just like the Hikawa grip, the PopSocket uses magnets to adhere to the iPhone's back and can be used as a stand as well. Apple, however, claims that the $70 Hikawa grip, which looks like a kitschy silicone piece with a hole in it, especially in the gaudy Chartreuse color, has been developed with accessibility in mind.
"The grip was designed through an extensive interview process to support varied ways of holding iPhone while reducing the effort needed to keep it steady," chimes Bailey Hikawa, the LA-based designer of the "limited edition" accessory.
Hikawa has been producing ergonomic iPhone grips and cases for a while and has caught the attention of Apple because of the "direct input from individuals with disabilities affecting muscle strength, dexterity, and hand control" that Hikawa uses to design its accessories.
The grip is available in two colors at Apple, a high-visibility Chartreuse, and a Crater color that seems to be crafted out of recycled material. At the Hikawa website, however, the accessory is called Adaptive Grip & Stand, and can be had in more colorways, including a more classy Cobalt blue, as well as Blurple Swirl.
It still costs the same pricey $70 tag, though, but Hikawa doles out some more details about the premium silicone material that returns a soft touch feeling and offers minimal holding tension no matter the hand position.
Hikawa iPhone grip compatibility
- iPhone 12 and up with MagSafe;
- All MagSafe cases;
- All iPhone sizes, including the iPhone Pro, Plus, Pro Max and Mini form factors.
