Apple has made some weird decisions in the past regarding accessories – one of them is the Leather Sleeve for iPhone.
Priced at $129, the Apple Leather Sleeve for iPhone was a Ridiculous and Impractical Accessory
With the launch of iPhone 12, Apple went all-out with MagSafe accessories. One of those accessories was the Leather Sleeve with MagSafe for iPhone. One quick glance and you know exactly what it was meant to do – protect the iPhone from all corners. I bet it looked like a great idea at the drawing board, but not so great in real life.
See, I’m all up for cases that offer protection front and back. But, if you have to completely take off the case just to use an app or check the weather – not such a good idea. This is what the Leather Sleeve wanted you to do – take your iPhone 12 out of the case completely to do anything at all.
The case wasn’t entirely awful, don’t get me wrong. It had a small cutout at the front for the display that showed you the time. There’s even a cutout for the speaker grille at the top and that’s where you have to monkey around with the iPhone and case just to attend a call. And, Apple even shipped a matching leather strap with the case, if you want to carry the sleeve around like a rich kid.
With MagSafe support, you can attach any compatible charger at the back and start charging your iPhone 12 instantly. And thanks to the included card compartment, you could carry around an ID or credit card with your iPhone all the time.
So, why didn’t Apple keep on making these? Because Apple was charging $129 for a case that was severely impractical despite its protective advantages. See, the moment you take your iPhone out of the case, it’s out for good, the phone is exposed to everything.
I’ve constantly made myself clear how bad heat is when you’re charging an iPhone with a case on. Would you charge your iPhone inside a leather burrito, that too using MagSafe? Obviously not.
I believe a wallet case that flips open would have been a far better choice. You don’t have to get rid of the case completely, attending calls is much easier, and best of all, those cases exist and don’t cost $129.
You can look at the Leather Sleeve as a very premium accessory, but that’s as far as it went. It didn’t give much back to the user in terms of functionality despite its high price.
Don’t worry, I’ll be back with another Apple accessory just like this one.
