December 1 2004

iPod socks - An objective analysis

If you were going to stop me right there and say "Hey! There's nothing revolutionary about iPod socks!", you might be dead right. On the surface, they appear to be yet another way for Apple to steal $30 from you wallet.

It should be worth noting too, that the first review I wrote went something along the lines of "these are too expensive, don't bother". However despite my obvious skepticism, I have discovered that immediate appearances are deceiving when it comes to Apple. So let's cover the basics. You get six socks, Orange, Green, Pink, Blue, Purple and Grey. Which as you've probably worked out already are the five iPod Mini colours, plus Purple. It comes in very nice packaging, which is come to be expected from Apple, and each sock has a little tag with "iPod" on one side and the Apple logo on the back.

I discovered how well Apple nailed their demographic when I showed these socks to various people around my school. I was nearly mauled by every woman I showed these too. Responding as a mother would to a new baby, what came out was a high pitch amalgamation of words that somehow resembled "Oh that's adorable!", "It's so cute!" and "Oh My God! I want one!". I had offers to buy them from me. The flipside of this was every guy I showed it to was like "Oh that's stupid", "Why would you buy something like that!?" and "Your kidding me, right?". Yes not a single male I showed it too would go out and buy one.

Back to the socks, the colours are really nice. Bright and Vibrant. One thing that definitely isn't obvious is how durable this little socks are. It took multiple attempts by my roommate to even get them to stretch (and he's a very strong guy, and he doesn't like Apple). Even after they were stretched, they were still able to perform their task. In fact after a little massage, they were back to their original shape (the sock was starting to rip during the stress test). These things are amazingly durable.

They're going to keep your shiny reflective back looking nice, the second generation iPod fits very snugly in there and won't accidentally slip out. You can't operate the touch wheel behind the sock, but the buttons all work. They're easier to get out of your pocket than the regular belt clip. So, if you're like me and like to put your iPod in your pocket, then these are definitely worth considering. They'll keep your iPod clean, and gunk free. "They're machine washable darling, that's a new feature!" (Incredibles quote for the blissfully ignorant).

So perhaps they are revolutionary. No one's made a sock for their product before, they're certainly more durable than your foot-sock, and they look pretty darn cool. They'll keep your iPod sparkly, clean and colourful. iPod Socks however are pricey, but you're paying for durability. Expect them to last you through several iPods. If you're still not convinced, go and grab an iPod wielding friends and go halves. If you're a pocket iPod user, these come highly recommended.

December 1 2004

iPod socks - An objective analysis

Copyright