Can’t stop thinking about the iPhone sock bag? Apple has even more modern art in store for you.
The company just launched its new, limited edition Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand, a MagSafe compatible accessory that turns your phone into a handheld sculpture.
The case is a collaboration with Bailey Hikawa, a Los Angeles-based designer known for her line of colorful, abstract iPhone cases that look like hand-sized amoebas or melting gummy bears. You’ve probably seen Hikawa’s cases pop up on your TikTok FYP or appear in the hands of influencers, but what you may not know is that Hikawa’s design ethos isn’t just about trendiness, but accessibility too.
To that end, Hikawa’s iPhone accessories are more than aesthetically fascinating (no offense, sock bag); they serve a purpose, offering creative means of hand support that can help reduce fatigue and improve your grip.
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Credit: Apple
Apple’s Hikawa phone grip was designed with those principles in mind, but with additional accessibility considerations for users with various degrees of motor skills, muscle strength, and grip tension — and those who don’t use their hands to navigate the iPhone. The silicone accessory can be used vertically or horizontally and snaps on and off of the device in one fluid motion, so it’s easier to add onto your device compared to Hikawa’s line of cases.
In an interview with ELLE Decor, Hikawa explained that she didn’t start out to design accessible phone accessories, but that feedback from customers with disabilities showed her that there was more than just artistic merit to her business. For the exclusive Apple grip, she specifically interviewed iPhone users with a wide range of disabilities to inform the new accessory’s shape and texture.
“This is the beginning of many more offerings for all kinds of bodies,” she told the publication.
This year also marks 40 years since Apple first launched accessibility initiatives across its company and devices, which the tech giant has been celebrating with a series of new accessibility features and upgrades, including new App Store labels, Braille Access, and upgrades to tools like Head Tracking, Live Listen, Live Captions, and Personal Voice.
The grip is on sale now and retails for $69.95. It comes in two colors: Chartreuse and Crater, exclusive to the U.S. Apple Online Store.
