Following a negative consumer reaction to its FineWoven cases for iPhone, Apple is likely to be replacing the lineup with cases that could be made from a new and unnamed material such as "vegan leather," according to a regular leaker.
Alleged new "leather" cases will keep the same colors as the Finewoven line.
Hit-or-miss leaker Majin Bu has again taken to social media to reveal images of the alleged new cases, which use the same colors as the FineWoven cases but are made of a new material. Black, blue, dark purple, green, and taupe colors have been retained from the previous FineWoven line, with a new light gray edition joining the lineup.
Bu alleges that Apple will keep the same color palette on the iPhone 16 "leather" cases.
Bu posted a second image showing what they initially claimed was the packaging for the new cases. However, they later backtracked and admitted that the image was a picture of existing Chinese knockoff cases.
Chinese replica cases and packaging said to be similar to what Apple will bring out.
The FineWoven micro twill cases Apple has promoted as a replacement for leather for the past two years had a good feel, but were easily scratched by fingernails, did not resist staining, and had a tendency to snag inside pockets.
Bu's track record has been very mixed over time, sometimes reprinting rumors from other sources without credit. Some leaks from Bu have turned out to be accurate -- they corrected predicted the camera move to the long side of the 10-generation iPad, for example.
Other reports, such as their claim that the iPhone 15 would have two front-facing selfie cameras, have turned out to be false.