Last year, apple decided to be the cool eco-friendly kit on the phone making block, and introduce a new line of cases to replace the genuine leather ones that it has offered for his iPhones since time immemorial.
Called FineWoven,Β the new cases actually use a fabric like material, which, however, didn’t stand the scrutiny of time and general use. The fine oven line of cases age very quickly and with time their coloring becomes spotty, and they scratch and stain quite easily, even though, at $59, they cost the same as the genuine leather cases before them.
Those who bought apples FineWoven cases seem to hate them with passion and are often returning them for something else from Apple’s roaster. The accessories team from Cupertino has heard those complaints and will reportedly chuck the FineWoven line of cases altogether.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman store availability checks, several Apple products, including the FineWoven cases, are now at the lowest ever stock levels.Β Such low inventory levels usually indicate the end of the line for a product, so next week apple may be done with the fine woven cases for the iPhone 16 series and either bring back the leather cases, or introduce a brand-new material to take their place.
During the iPhone 15 event, Apple waxed poetic that the FineWoven material is a luxurious and durable microtwill that leaves a suede feel in the hand. Moreover, the FineWoven “fabric” is made of 68% post-consumer recycled content with reduced carbon footprint, not to mention the other negative connotations associated with leather as a material.
As often happens when brands are trying to replace natural material with something more environmentally friendly, however, the user experience gets worse, and it will be interesting to follow how Apple will deprecate the FineWoven case line, or what will it replace it with.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he’s keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.