Apple’s much-maligned FineWoven line of accessories, made from a faux leather material for environmental reasons, has now been completely phased out, according to a new report. The same source indicates that the company intends to replace FineWoven with another leather replacement material, but one that will hopefully suffer from fewer problems.
Kosutami, Twitter user/Xa tech leaker who has posted accurate rumors in the past, posted Sunday that “FineWoven disappeared…because its durability was poor” and that production of the cases has now ceased.
If anything, Kosutami underestimates Apple’s difficulties with FineWoven’s durability. Although they are marketed and offered as high-end accessories, iPhone cases become stained and damaged much more easily than leather; in fact, a few days, even a few hours after opening. Even the USB-C port hole was poorly designed, being too small for many third-party cables and in some cases misaligned. It’s all been a bit of a disaster.
So it’s hardly surprising that Apple is discontinuing the line ahead of its all-important iPhone refresh in 2024: following all the negative PR, it was either a case of completely redesigning them or killing them . The question was what the company would do next. He can abandon himself completely by returning to leather and silicone; it can step back by offering a new alternative to vegan leather alongside leather; or it can double down and replace FineWoven while refusing to sell leather accessories.
It appears that the third path is the one that Cupertino has chosen, which makes sense given how high the stakes are. Let’s just hope Apple gets it right this time.
It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, FineWoven products are still available on Apple’s website and for pickup in Apple stores. Presumably the end of the line won’t be officially announced until the iPhone 16 launches or most of the remaining units have not been sold, which could be around the same time. Even though production has stopped, it’s likely that Apple has enough inventory to get through the next few months of iPhone 15 sales.
