If you’re looking for a bougie Christmas present on a budget for the Apple enthusiasts in your life, you might have to wait a while.
Apple is experiencing a 10-12 week shipping delay on its ‘Polishing Cloth’ because it’s just so popular.
At first glance, it looks like any ordinary microfibre cloth. The only thing that sets it apart is the coveted Apple logo (and the £19 price tag).
Apple revealed the item in its latest ‘Unleashed’ product event last month alongside an upgraded version of the AirPods and the MacBook Pro.
The internet was quick to make fun of the glorified cleaning cloth, which became the subject of some hilarious memes. However, it looks like Apple loyalists have been as resilient to criticism (and overpriced products) as ever and have quickly snapped up the product resulting in delayed shipping times.
Shoppers will have to wait until after the holidays to get their hands on the 6.3-inch-sided square of fabric.
According to Apple’s website, if you ordered it today, you’d get it in 10-12 weeks. So, even with the express shipping option for an extra £4.80, you’d still only get it between January 19 and February 2 if you’re based in London.
Comparatively, you can get the other products from the launch much faster with the new AirPods being available on the same day in London if you order before 5.30 pm. Most specifications of the new MacBookPro will also reach you well before Christmas.
Apple said that its branded Polishing Cloth is ‘made with soft, nonabrasive material’ which is standard for most microfiber cloths. The polishing cloth has also not been well received by critics who say that it’s not worth your money.
The review website iFixit revealed that the Polishing Cloth is actually two pieces of material glued together and even got it under a microscope to compare it to a regular microfiber cloth against which it didn’t fare well.
The product description on Apple’s website says that the Polishing Cloth can be used to clean any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively.
While any microfibre cloth can do the same thing for a much lesser price, the allure of owning a branded Apple product seems to be its USP.
In comparison, you can get an 8-pack of microfibre cleaning cloths for just £6.49 and Amazon can have it shipped to you by tomorrow.
Clearly, for someone that’s happy to shell out over £3000 for one of the new MacBook Pros, another £20 might not make much difference.
MORE : Apple AirPods 3 review: An improvement in every way
MORE : Apple releases $19 polishing cloth, much to the Internet’s amusement
