FineWoven won't be missed, but it should be remembered

Apple is likely to kill off its FineWoven range of cases and bands when the iPhone 16 launches. Most of you still shouldn't buy them while stocks last, they were at least a valiant attempt to replace leather.

It's not a surprise that FineWoven is about to disappear. Perhaps its not even really a surprise that it failed to successfully replace leather.

It is a surprise that Apple didn't spot its failings before it got to a mass, worldwide release.

But rather than criticize Apple for a failed product range, instead recognize and even applaud that it took a big bet. Apple was convinced enough of its need to stop using leather that it went all out.

Every leather product Apple sold was cancelled at the same time, and this new FineWoven alternative was ramped up to mass production. FineWoven is a dense micro twill — a type of fabric weave — which Apple claimed has a "suede-like" feel.

Okay, yeah, this FineWoven case really does feel great, but wow, scratching from a finger nail is cringe pic.twitter.com/gTzinmjN5h
— Into Galaxy (@IntoGalaxyy) July 19, 2024

AppleInsider reviewed the first FineWoven iPhone cases and we were clear that we couldn't recommend them. FineWoven cases snagged on pockets, showed stains badly, and for some people the feel of the cases was "like scratching an old 90's windbreaker, in all the worst ways."

There's no but to follow that, no however, and no qualification of any way. The cases, and also the Apple Watch bands, remain just poor, overall.

Even if you liked the feel, and some did, FineWoven accessories practically attract problems.

Consequently, few are going to miss FineWoven accessories. People who do somehow like them should buy now while they still can — and buy many, many of them because they won't last in any sense.

Still, give Apple credit for trying something new. It didn't work, and the company's reported thousands of hours of testing should have shown this.

But if nothing else, Apple did go hell for leather.

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32 Comments

sflagel 867 comments · 11 Years

About 3 months ago

Am I wrong to believe that animals are not killed for their leather alone? Would it not be better to source real leather, certified to be a by-product only?

DAalseth 3066 comments · 6 Years

sflagel said:

Am I wrong to believe that animals are not killed for their leather alone? Would it not be better to source real leather, certified to be a by-product only?

That’s my understanding, that most leather is a byproduct from beef and other food production,

But for those concerned about using leather, Otter makes cases made of what they call Cactus Leather. It’s made from plants, not plastic like FineWoven. Reviews have said it’s much better than Apple’s product.

hammeroftruth 1356 comments · 16 Years

It was very shortsighted to make products like this without having field tested them and if they did, Apple should be ashamed of themselves for trying to convince the public that finewoven was a suitable alternative to leather.

Somebody at Apple decided that leather was bad, but a plastic replacement is worse. Especially when they try to hide the flaws in the cases on display by replacing them when they look bad which according to several sites was almost daily.

Stabitha_Christie 582 comments · 3 Years

sflagel said:

Am I wrong to believe that animals are not killed for their leather alone? Would it not be better to source real leather, certified to be a by-product only?

Some animals are raised specifically for leather but the majority of leather is a byproduct of the meat industry.

But that is a moot point. Apple didn’t move away from leather due concerns about animal welfare. They moved away from leather because the process of taking a hide and making it into a leather product is environmentally taxing. There are processes to produce leather that more environmentally friendly but they aren’t scalable and they skew to being more expensive.

The hides themselves can be used in other ways that aren’t as rough on the environment so it’s not like they are going to waste if they aren’t converted to leather.

The leather industry itself has been in decline for a decade. There are various reasons for this and the reality is that Apple is just joining the rest of the world in dumping leather.

Those FineWoven articles always crack me up. With it being officially September my case is within a few weeks of being a year old and behold! Yeah, it’s underwhelming. It just looks like a case. Appleinsider has been quick to jump on every negative social media post to declare these as some sort of failure but there doesn’t seem to be any first hand experience. Mine is just fine and it isn’t like I treat it gingerly. It’s the first Apple made case that I have gotten that has survived a year. Mind you, I never got a leather one.

Anyway, I really wonder what the difference in usage is that causes other people’s cases to look so terrible and mine to be perfectly fine.