The Apple Polishing Cloth has been updated with a new version that uses a different material while retaining much of the design that made the original popular. First introduced in 2021 with a price of around £15, the accessory quickly became a talking point, frequently selling out both in stores and online in its early days.
Over the years, Apple has regularly refreshed the cloth’s compatibility with new product releases. It is one of six cleaning cloths the company has released in recent years, sitting alongside dedicated options for the Apple Vision Pro, the iPad Pro with nano-texture finish, the Pro Display XDR, and the Studio Display with nano-texture finish.
What has changed
The revamped cleaning cloth has not altered dramatically in form. It remains a 6.3-inch by 6.3-inch square with rounded corners and a dual-layer construction with fused edges. An Apple logo is stamped onto the lower-right corner of both the old and new versions.
The key difference lies in the material. The original felt almost suede-like, whereas the new version looks more like a standard microfibre. Apple describes it simply as a “soft, nonabrasive material”. The updated cloth is noticeably softer and less stiff, which makes it easier to hold while cleaning. However, the thinner material feels less substantial than the original, more comparable to the large, thin cloth included with the Apple Vision Pro, albeit with a two-layer build.
Cleaning performance
Apple says the cloth is designed specifically for all of its display finishes, including nano-texture, which can be damaged by poor-quality fabrics. This makes the accessory particularly relevant for those who own Apple hardware with delicate coatings.
In testing, the new cloth performed comparably to its predecessor. It did not appear to lift oils quite as effectively during use, but the end results were the same, leaving displays clean. The original had been regarded as one of the best-performing cleaning cloths available, and the new version keeps pace with it.
The updated Apple Polishing Cloth carries a light grey colour and a lower price than the original, while cheaper third-party alternatives remain available on the market.
Source
Image: appleinsider.com
