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maxcan 6 hours ago [-]
I have a Wallstreet Powerbook G3 and an Apple IIe. I ordered the updated cloth and will report back on compatibility issues with those old machines that aren't on the list or workarounds necessary to get the cloth to function.
thrtythreeforty 6 hours ago [-]
I love to see the community putting in the work to keep these old machines working with new Apple products! Just wish Apple would be willing to step up their support; I suspect most Apple customers will simply buy a new machine to ensure compatibility with their Polishing Cloth rather than tinkering with community-supported workflows.
bjackman 5 hours ago [-]
The Asahi folks have been making really impressive progress on Polishing Cloth drivers so I'm optimistic that we'll at least have a community solution for the E-waste in future decades.
maxcan 5 hours ago [-]
I'm thinking I should upgrade to a Mac Studio. The IIe really struggles to run any LLMs locally.
dannyw 11 hours ago [-]
The new cloth is different. It's softer and thinner, but the same size.
This is actually the 4th Apple Polishing Cloth. Here are all the variants I know:
* Original one (reference size)
* New one (reference size; softer/thinner)
* Apple Vision Pro (slightly smaller, square, different colour)
* Nanotexture Display (much smaller, rectangular)
zitterbewegung 7 hours ago [-]
I believe I got this cloth with my new MacBook Pro with the nano texture display was very different than the original.
publlus_enigma 6 hours ago [-]
The new model has more parallel threads.
numpad0 8 hours ago [-]
This cloth was originally for Pro Display that needed to be only cleaned with care using a good microfiber to not ruin the antireflection coating. Apple then started including everything on their catalogue as compatible with it(is it compatible with itself?).
Gigachad 7 hours ago [-]
I once bought a Pro Display but returned it. Kept the cloth, it’s still the nicest microfiber cloth I own.
I wish I kept the thunderbolt cable too since they never checked for it in the return.
RobotToaster 11 hours ago [-]
I guess anyone wanting to polish their iPhone 4 is SOL.
sunaookami 9 hours ago [-]
In the last thread someone contacted support and they said that it is compatible and the compatibility chart just bottoms out on the iPhone 5 :D https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49435364
I clean my Apple mobile stuff daily with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol. A 1L bottle is pretty cheap and it lasts a long time. I just spray it on a cloth and wipe with that.
I use a glassware/window type Microfiber that I got from the Supermarket. For the Apple Watch, I use a cheap cotton handkerchief from eBay because a Microfiber snags too much on the metal mesh bracelet.
It’s been really effective. The IPA does mean the Oleophobic coating will wear off faster, but it doesn’t last that long anyway and the IPA stops dirt and smudges building up.
The price reduction has absolutely tanked the resale market for these. Thanks a lot Tim Apple
Retr0id 8 hours ago [-]
You'd think apple would be incentivised to sell it at as low a price as possible, perhaps even as a loss leader. More polishing cloths sold means more polished iDevices, which improves brand perception.
8cvor6j844qw_d6 8 hours ago [-]
I tried using it on a non-Apple device, sadly it's incompatible. /s
7 hours ago [-]
ubittibu 2 hours ago [-]
Can this fit between the keyboard and the screen with closed lid in a Macbook Air?
FinnLobsien 10 hours ago [-]
I always wonder what the rationale is inside Apple to sell a separate cleaning cloth.
There’s no way this is even a drop in the bucket for their business, and neither is this some strategic judo move where they can undercut a competitor’s business.
aetherspawn 9 hours ago [-]
It’s specifically advised for use on the nano texture displays, where the wrong material could rub away the special surface etching they use to get the glare resistance.
They list it as compatible with everything, because, well why not.
awakeasleep 5 hours ago [-]
As someone who actually has the nano texture display and has actually used Apple’s cloth and regular microfibers:
the main difference seems to be that the Apple cloth will clean finger grease out of the nano texture. With a normal microfiber you have to spend five times as long, spray windex, and rub really hard.
I have the nano texture on an iPad, and I wasn’t too concerned about scratches, but after years of using both I still don’t have any
IKEA recently changed their microfibers to be more like the special Apple one, and they work now too
awakeasleep 5 hours ago [-]
As someone who actually has the nano texture display and has actually used Apple’s cloth and regular microfibers:
the main difference seems to be that the Apple cloth will clean finger grease out of the nano texture. With a normal microfiber you have to spend five times as long, spray windex, and rub really hard.
panki27 8 hours ago [-]
So using a wrong polishing cloth will damage that special surface, but not the inside of my pocket?
ff10 8 hours ago [-]
Are you able to fit an open MacBook Pro with nano texture finish into your pocket? If yes, you might have different problems (or benefits).
aetherspawn 7 hours ago [-]
It’s an option that costs extra and is only available on some MacBooks and Studio Displays, not iPhones and the like.
herywort 8 hours ago [-]
The special etchings aren't used on iPhones
numpad0 8 hours ago [-]
It's a special surface finish for living room TVs. Not intended for touchscreens.
toymin 8 hours ago [-]
there are no nano-texture display devices that fit in a reasonably sized pocket
vachina 6 hours ago [-]
This is why AAPL is a 4.62 trillion dollar company.
Simulacra 7 hours ago [-]
It's because they know there is a segment of fanboys that will buy it.
andsoitis 9 hours ago [-]
Apple devices are fashion accessories, like sunglasses and watches, which all come with polishing cloths.
1718627440 8 hours ago [-]
Marging and fingerpointing in case the customer damaged the screen with some "third-party" cleaning cloth.
ivell 6 hours ago [-]
Amazingly compatible with Lenovo. How did they achieve that!?
dyzone 8 hours ago [-]
People buy a special cloth to wipe their phones? I just use my handkerchief.
andsoitis 6 hours ago [-]
You have a handkerchief? How fancy!
nicbou 8 hours ago [-]
I run mine under the tap with hand soap.
Lvl999Noob 7 hours ago [-]
I don't use soap but I do put my phone under the tap if I dropped some sauce or something on it.
On a serious note, why not just use the lens polishing cloth you get with glasses? If it's good enough for glass that would sit right in front of your eyes constantly, it's good enough for your phone.
nicbou 44 minutes ago [-]
I just rub it against my pant leg. For glasses I use little alcohol wipes because the thick grease film drives me nuts.
andsoitis 9 hours ago [-]
You can pick up polishing cloths at half the price and that are compatible with all computing devices, including all current, former, and future Apple devices. Not just those in the “compatible devices list” of this $9 polishigncloth.
brk 8 hours ago [-]
Sure, if you want to trust a cheap knock-off with no Apple logo.
I learned my lessons from cube chargers, not going to risk getting ripped off again with some no-name product.
vibcdingenjoyer 5 hours ago [-]
Interesting, but I need to check macrumors to make sure this is a good time to purchase.
mring33621 5 hours ago [-]
Finally! A cloth that will work on my iPhone 5C!
Hold on -- mine's blue... will it still work?
grim_io 7 hours ago [-]
Is it any good for running local AI?
aa-jv 8 hours ago [-]
Nothing beats KORG's muslin swaddling cloths that they were handing out at Superbooth a few years ago, for cleaning those knobs and hard to get at clavier keyboards.
It was such a great bit of Superbooth swag that I went down the rabbit hole on Japanese swaddling cloths, muslin, and the like[1], and am now a convert to the muslin clan. I don't use anything else for swims these days, its that great. The fact that I can slick off the water with the same towel I use to keep my synths shiny is just sweet.
FYI -- swaddling is the practice of binding up an infant's legs and arms, and other appendages, so that they can't flail around, or swat at adoring shepherds, or fall out of a manger where you've laid him. The "swaddles" they're selling start at 115cm square. You probably do not need such a large cloth to swaddle your KORG keyboard.
sibsibsib 5 hours ago [-]
the korg kronos 88key is listed as 1457mm long, so you might need several in order to swaddle it. but at that size, it probably no longer needs swaddling
latexr 8 hours ago [-]
What is happening to HN? What is it about anymore? Posts and comments critical of any tech CEO doing shitty things or technologies that affect millions of lives are routinely flagged, while posts about a dumb piece of fabric with no special characteristics that almost no one will buy hit the front page multiple times.
Kuraj 8 hours ago [-]
It makes sense that people tend to upvote things thats make them laugh over things that make them upset.
taspeotis 8 hours ago [-]
You're missing the meta: upvoting stuff like this is ironic shitposting-adjacent, so people upvote it.
latexr 5 hours ago [-]
Alright, I guess shitposting is not what I’ve come to expect from HN submissions. I also don‘t think it justifies multiple submissions for this one and the flagging of the others.
newsclues 8 hours ago [-]
I don’t understand the point of this post, (not your comment that makes total sense and I agree)
If you want to spend 12 minutes on what changed, AppleInsider made a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL-4kCkvEvQ
This is actually the 4th Apple Polishing Cloth. Here are all the variants I know:
I wish I kept the thunderbolt cable too since they never checked for it in the return.
https://512pixels.net/2026/08/new-polishing-cloth-review/
I use a glassware/window type Microfiber that I got from the Supermarket. For the Apple Watch, I use a cheap cotton handkerchief from eBay because a Microfiber snags too much on the metal mesh bracelet.
It’s been really effective. The IPA does mean the Oleophobic coating will wear off faster, but it doesn’t last that long anyway and the IPA stops dirt and smudges building up.
Does it stack up to Apple Polishing Cloth 1 though? [0][1]
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvvyTXacSzg
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEpe6RdEFxk
There’s no way this is even a drop in the bucket for their business, and neither is this some strategic judo move where they can undercut a competitor’s business.
They list it as compatible with everything, because, well why not.
the main difference seems to be that the Apple cloth will clean finger grease out of the nano texture. With a normal microfiber you have to spend five times as long, spray windex, and rub really hard.
I have the nano texture on an iPad, and I wasn’t too concerned about scratches, but after years of using both I still don’t have any
IKEA recently changed their microfibers to be more like the special Apple one, and they work now too
the main difference seems to be that the Apple cloth will clean finger grease out of the nano texture. With a normal microfiber you have to spend five times as long, spray windex, and rub really hard.
On a serious note, why not just use the lens polishing cloth you get with glasses? If it's good enough for glass that would sit right in front of your eyes constantly, it's good enough for your phone.
I learned my lessons from cube chargers, not going to risk getting ripped off again with some no-name product.
Hold on -- mine's blue... will it still work?
It was such a great bit of Superbooth swag that I went down the rabbit hole on Japanese swaddling cloths, muslin, and the like[1], and am now a convert to the muslin clan. I don't use anything else for swims these days, its that great. The fact that I can slick off the water with the same towel I use to keep my synths shiny is just sweet.
[1] - https://kongessloejd.com/en-at/collections/muslin-cloths-swa...