Apple Cuts Polishing Cloth Price by More Than Half to $9
Apple has released a revised Polishing Cloth priced at $9, down from $19 for the previous version. The price cut was first spotted by MacRumors on August 25, 2026, and confirmed by The Verge the same day. The new cloth carries product number MM6F3AM/A and is labeled "New" on Apple's US store page, where it lists at $9.00 (The Verge).
The material specification is unchanged. Apple describes the new cloth as made from soft, nonabrasive fabric — the same language used for the prior product, MW693AM/A. A comparison against an archived snapshot of the older product page confirms the description is identical (The Verge). The old cloth is no longer listed on Apple's website.
Apple states the Polishing Cloth cleans any Apple display safely, including the nano-texture glass found on certain Pro Display XDR and MacBook Pro models. Nano-texture glass is etched at a microscopic level to reduce glare, which makes it more vulnerable to scratching than standard glass. The compatibility list is broad: iPhone 5 and later, iPad models, Mac laptops, iMac displays, and Apple's standalone monitors. Notably absent are the new Mac Studio and Mac Mini announced alongside the cloth. Both are headless machines with no integrated display, making them the only newly released products the cloth cannot serve in any direct capacity (The Verge).
Regional availability follows Apple's standard distribution pattern. The US consumer store lists MM6F3AM/A at apple.com/shop/product/MM6F3AM/A/polishing-cloth. The US Education store still carries the prior-generation cloth, MW693AM/A, at apple.com/us-edu/shop/product/mw693am/a/polishing-cloth. Regional storefronts including Saudi Arabia (product MW693ZE/A) and the Philippines (product MW693ZA/A) also list the Polishing Cloth, though it is unclear whether those stores have been updated to the new SKU or still carry the older one.
The pricing history here is worth a moment of attention. The original Polishing Cloth launched at $19 and drew considerable ridicule in tech commentary for what looked like a steep markup on a microfiber accessory. Dropping the price by more than half while keeping the material description identical invites a straightforward reading: Apple's margins on this product were always comfortable, and the company has decided the volume and goodwill math works better at $9. There is no indication of a change in materials, manufacturing, or functionality.
The broader context is that Apple's accessories business, while a small fraction of total revenue, has long served as a testing ground for price elasticity on brand premium — that is, how much extra buyers will pay simply because the product carries an Apple logo. The Polishing Cloth is an extreme case because the product is functionally generic. A $19 microfiber cloth from any manufacturer performs the same task. What Apple sold at $19, and now sells at $9, is the same soft material in a branded package with a compatibility list. The price reduction does not change the product; it changes the calculus for buyers who were unwilling to pay a premium that, at $19, crossed from convenient into conspicuous.
One practical note for anyone with nano-texture glass: Apple has consistently advised using only the included polishing cloth or a replacement purchased from Apple. Because the nano-texture surface is etched at a microscopic level, abrasive cloths can degrade it. At $9, the replacement cost is low enough that the rationale for seeking third-party alternatives weakens considerably. That is likely the point.
