After I get a new phone, one of the first things I do is go searching to all the ends of the earth for the perfect case, the best screen protector, and any other accessories that might stick out to me. For the most part, at least recently, my search for accessories usually ends with a case and a screen protector. If you have a popular flagship like a Galaxy S phone, an LG G phone, or an HTC One, you might be lucky enough to find a couple of extra goodies here and there that make the phone stand out. As it stands, though, if you’re a huge fan of excessive accessories, your best bet is going to be with an iPhone bar none.
I’ve kind of sworn off the iPhone since the release of iOS 7 as I’m not the biggest fan of the minimalistic and gradient-heavy redesign. That being said, I still find that I get a little jealous when I see an interesting new accessory pop up on the market or in Kickstarter campaigns and my Moto X is anything but able to use it. Anytime I think of writing an article with “weird and quirky” accessories, you can bet that at least half of that list is going to be accessories for iPhone users only because that’s just the way it is. Even after 7 years, there is still a huge draw to creating accessories for the iPhone. It makes sense, because Apple has a tendency to be consistent in their phone designs for at least a couple of years.
I consider accessories to be the bread and butter of the mobile world. After you buy your phone, you’re probably going to be using it for at least the next year or so. A year (or two, or three) can make your "new" phone seem kind of stale, especially given how quickly technology moves in this industry. So how do you keep your expensive purchase fresh over time without breaking the bank? New accessories, of course!
But seriously, the ratio of accessories from any other phone to the iPhone is ridiculous. Just look at some of the weird and cool accessories that iPhone users get:
This is one of the more recent additions to the list. Ever wake up so early that you accidentally toast your phone instead of the bread you intended to eat? Well, now you can toast your phone and feel good about it! The Foaster is a "toaster" that charges your iPhone, and pops up your phone once it’s finished charging. It’s still in Kickstarter, but man if that doesn’t just sound adorable and handy all at the same time.
Ever felt like your phone’s camera just wasn’t cutting it as a replacement for your actual digital camera? That’s okay, just buy this handy DSLR attachment and you’re good to go. You save time and money!
Physical keyboards are almost extinct in smartphones at this point in time (unless you’re BlackBerry), and while it doesn’t look like they’ll be making a comeback anytime soon, you can at least take solace in the fact that you’re not without your options. Keyboard Buddy is a slide-out attachment for the iPhone for those days when haptic feedback just can’t satisfy the real craving you’re having for tried and true tactile feedback. Clickity, clickity, click.
This is probably the one I’m most jealous about. As somebody who seems to switch cases every month or so, it is annoying that most of the really cool novelty cases are only made for iPhones. You have the Gameboy case, the Nintendo controller case, the hoodie cover, wooden camera cases, Morphie Juice Pack cases, Otterbox, Poetic... just about any case maker out there has made a case or seven for the iPhone. It’s insane the types of cases you can find out there for this phone.
There is certainly no shortage of stands for the iPhone. Whether you’re looking for something as simple as an alarm clock that charges your phone or an extra loud boombox to blast those sweet, sweet iTunes jams, rest assured you won’t have to look too far.
There’s an unimaginable number of unique accessories out there for the iPhone, which is a great - if you have an iPhone. Unfortunately, at this point in time, I don’t. That just means I’ll have to admire these cool accessories from afar. It’s still pretty cool to see all of the interesting accessories that people come up with in order to keep the iPhone - which I often describe as stale and boring specifically because of its slow-changing nature - fresh and fun.
Images via Gadget Mac, Mashable, Glamzelle, Freshness Mag, Foaster
