Apple just dropped an unexpected accessibility milestone. The tech giant partnered with LA artist Bailey Hikawa on a $69.95 MagSafe iPhone grip designed specifically for users with muscle strength and dexterity challenges - marking four decades of Apple's accessibility work with a product that puts inclusion front and center.
Apple is making accessibility cool again. The company just launched the Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand, a $69.95 MagSafe accessory that's not your typical phone grip - it's been designed from the ground up with input from people who actually need it most. The collaboration with LA-based artist and designer Bailey Hikawa represents something bigger than just another Apple accessory launch. It's a statement piece that puts disability-focused design right in the mainstream spotlight, timed perfectly to commemorate Apple's 40 years of accessibility innovation. The grip itself is chunky, sculptural, and unapologetically functional. Made from soft-touch silicone, it magnetically snaps onto any iPhone and transforms into both a grip and a stand for horizontal or vertical viewing. But here's what makes it different - Hikawa worked directly with individuals who have disabilities affecting muscle strength, dexterity, and hand control to create something that actually works for varied ways of holding an iPhone. "The grip was designed to support varied ways of holding iPhone while reducing the effort needed to keep it steady," Hikawa explains, though she's refreshingly honest about limitations: "Not every adaptive need can be met with one device." That kind of realistic approach to accessibility design is exactly what the industry needs more of. Hikawa isn't new to unconventional design - The Verge profiled her back in 2019 when she was already making waves with chunky, structural phone cases from her LA studio. Her work spans everything from accessibility-focused tech accessories to, yes, decorative toilet seats. It's that fearless approach to functional art that caught Apple's attention. "There's this joy that I feel when somebody says that this is helpful, that they can't live without it, that it's comfortable in their hand," Hikawa told Elle Decor. "This is the beginning of many more offerings for all kinds of bodies." The timing feels intentional. Apple's been on something of an accessibility streak lately, and this launch coincides with the company's claim of 40 years of accessibility work. It's also the second high-profile accessory partnership Apple's announced in recent weeks, following their collaboration with fashion house Issey Miyake on a . The grip comes in two colorways through Apple - a Brat-inspired chartreuse green and a speckled stone finish that looks like it belongs in a modern art gallery. But if you want more options, offers blue and "swirly blurple" variants that showcase her artistic sensibility even more boldly. What's particularly smart about this partnership is how Apple's framing it. Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought or a separate product line, they're positioning this as a limited edition collaboration with a sought-after designer. It normalizes accessibility-focused design in a way that benefits everyone - not just people with disabilities. The $70 price point puts it squarely in premium accessory territory, competing with high-end MagSafe mounts and designer phone cases. But the value proposition here isn't just about materials or brand cachet - it's about thoughtful design that solves real problems for real people.
