Apple is known for the quality of its products, which is why it’s all the more surprising when the company occasionally releases a dud. But Apple’s FineWoven cases, introduced with the iPhone 15 range, are more than just a dud – they’ve been a disaster, and now it seems almost certain that they’re destined for the scrap heap.
That’s because a prominent leaker has claimed that Apple is set to replace its FineWoven cases with a new alternative. That’s according to Majin Bu on X (formerly Twitter), who shared two images of what they claimed will be the new cases and the complete range of colors they will apparently arrive in.
Many of the colors are the same as the existing FineWoven cases, including blue, green, black, and taupe. Apple’s mulberry color has apparently been replaced with a dark purple, and there’s supposedly a new gray version in the works too. Majin Bu didn’t explain what material the new cases would be made from, other than to say that it would be something new to replace FineWoven.
Majin Bu has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks, correctly predicting some upcoming features while getting others wrong. Interestingly to this point, the account seemed to retract the second image they posted when someone pointed out that it depicted existing leather cases, suggesting their due diligence was not at the level it should have been.
What’s the problem with FineWoven?
It would be an understatement to say that Apple’s FineWoven cases have met with disappointment. The products are made with a micro twill material, and were meant to be an eco-friendlier alternative to Apple’s leather cases. Yet they met with an almost immediate backlash.
Users complained that the cases scratched easily, and that these scratches could not be removed or masked. For others, the fabric material was a magnet for stains and blemishes, leading one reporter to joke that their FineWoven case was so dirty that it posed a “biomedical concern.”
It seems that this criticism did not escape Apple’s ears, and reports have suggested that the company has halted production of FineWoven cases and could announce that it's discontinuing them during its iPhone 16 event later today. That gives a boost to Majin Bu’s claim that something new is coming to replace FineWoven.
Ultimately, we’ll find out later today when Apple kicks off its iPhone 16 event and reveals a bunch of new phones, with fresh cases potentially in hot pursuit. We’ll be covering every new announcement as it happens, so make sure you check out our iPhone 16 launch live blog to find out the fate of FineWoven, and if you want to tune in, here's how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event live.
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