Mike Wuerthele
A new rumor claims that Apple has shut down the FineWoven production lines for good, possibly spelling the doom of the controversial accessory material.
Apple put a big marketing push behind its leather alternative FineWoven. The material debuted during the iPhone 15 event, and looked good — when brand new.
It just never lived up to the hype. And now, Apple appears to be done with the material.
In a post on X, accessory curator Kosutami posits that the lines have been shut down.
FineWoven has gone.
— Kosutami (@Kosutami_Ito) April 21, 2024
Since its durability were bad.
All the production line was stopped and removed.
Apple would move to another material— Again, not the leather.
So see ya'll in leather hell.
(Recycling Company) pic.twitter.com/KVaBZC6z6S
The provenance of the data is not clear, and there's no way to verify the report, though. In our experience with the material, it is an awful material for durability and stain resistance on an iPhone case.
However, Apple Watch bands have held up much better. Presumably the difference is in how much surface area is exposed to large patches of damage.
Apple will likely continue the hunt for a leather replacement. It has in recent days re-emphasized that it has eradicated leather from its product lines.
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38 Comments
Found a research paper on it. FineWoven is 100% petrol based, and the abrasion test (as measured in Martindale) is a disaster.
The longevity of the Apple series 14 leather cover is at least 100x higher making FineWoven a terrible product for customers and the planet.
https://unic.it/storage/iPhone15ProMax_FineWoven_VS_LEATHER.pdf
The concept isn't even original. In 2020 Samsung created covers from used plastic bottles. Quality is on the level of leather. Samsung asked the fabric experts at Kvadrat to design and deliver the upcycled material. Would be nice to see Apple work with experts and test. FineWoven should never have shipped.
Never understood FineWoven. It feels okay on the surface, but the cases themselves feel as thin as a sheet of paper. Beyond that, there are so many plant based "leathers" that Apple could've used instead. In fact, you can even find that material in the Satechi wallet/stands they sell in the Apple Store.
No one will miss FineWoven... especially Apple retail sales teams who know how awful the product really is.
With a tweet like that, how can it not be true?
Love my Apple leather case with MagSafe for my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It looks great now that it has aged (brown leather against purple iPhone) and feels really good, especially after a cleaning and conditioning. I’m gonna keep for as long as I have the phone.