Apple to introduce FineWoven replacement cases with iPhone 16 debut

AppleInsider

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.

Rumor Score: Likely

Read on AppleInsider

DAalseth

Vegan leather=plastic.

MplsP

DAalseth said:

Vegan leather=plastic.

Exactly - some form of PVC. I’ve yet to see a ‘vegan leather’ that performs the same as leather. It’s a perfectly fine substitute for some uses but in this case I would be shocked if it worked or wore as well as leather. 

chasm

Environmentally friendlier than actual plastic, but yes.

tzterri

I always buy purses made out of vegan leather. It's actually made from mushroom skin. It's treated the same as animal skin and turned into leather. It's as good if not better than animal leather.

nubus

Samsung used the fabric "Revive 1" by Kvadrat upcycled from PET bottles. Same designer worked with VW and Volvo.
Revive 1 hits 60,000 Martindale (abrasion testing cycles), the leather cases scored around 50,000, while FineWoven took a paltry 1,600 Martindale before disintegrating.

FineWoven 2 should at least hit 50k and Apple should report the number.

MplsP

tzterri said:

I always buy purses made out of vegan leather. It's actually made from mushroom skin. It's treated the same as animal skin and turned into leather. It's as good if not better than animal leather.

you need to educate yourself - "vegan leather" has no real meaning other than that it's not animal skin. The most common 'vegan leather' is PVC, aka vinyl.

paisleydisco

MplsP said:

tzterri said:

I always buy purses made out of vegan leather. It's actually made from mushroom skin. It's treated the same as animal skin and turned into leather. It's as good if not better than animal leather.

you need to educate yourself - "vegan leather" has no real meaning other than that it's not animal skin. The most common 'vegan leather' is PVC, aka vinyl.

'educate yourself" sounds like you need to learn how to use the googles. 

First I laughed at your dumb comment.

Then I searched "purses made of mushroom skin" 

You educate yourself! Before telling someone who uses a product they already know about. 

gatorguy

While it's certainly not the only form of "vegan leather", crafting from mushroom mycelium cells is "a thing".  Sounds right up Apple's alley. 
https://immaculatevegan.com/blogs/magazine/why-is-everyone-mad-about-mushroom-leather?srsltid=AfmBOooe3vn5_BUC-7zKKk0xAxQPCjtvvZSJfoFslSZvgI-m8h1tMvMT
  

diman80

DAalseth said:

Vegan leather=plastic.

Vegan leather = cheap garbage not fit for the brand

9secondkox2

Might as well use real leather. Vegan leather needs similar prep as animal leather. And at least the animal leather saves on animal waste. 

Unless the iPhone cases are made of straight hemp, the vegan leather is WORSE for the environment than real leather. 

bonobob

"Vegan Leather," aka naugahyde.  Next year, they'll switch to something else, since this will put the naugas on the endangered species list.

DAalseth

bonobob said:

"Vegan Leather," aka naugahyde.  Next year, they'll switch to something else, since this will put the naugas on the endangered species list.

Yup, same stuff. Only the name has changed. 

MplsP

paisleydisco said:

MplsP said:

tzterri said:

I always buy purses made out of vegan leather. It's actually made from mushroom skin. It's treated the same as animal skin and turned into leather. It's as good if not better than animal leather.

you need to educate yourself - "vegan leather" has no real meaning other than that it's not animal skin. The most common 'vegan leather' is PVC, aka vinyl.

'educate yourself" sounds like you need to learn how to use the googles. 

First I laughed at your dumb comment.

Then I searched "purses made of mushroom skin" 

You educate yourself! Before telling someone who uses a product they already know about. 

Sigh ... now I need to tell you to work on your reading comprehension. Read my comment again - I never said mushroom skin wasn't a thing, I said the most common 'vegan leather' is vinyl. Would you care to revise your comment so it looks like you can read?

DAalseth said:

bonobob said:

"Vegan Leather," aka naugahyde.  Next year, they'll switch to something else, since this will put the naugas on the endangered species list.

Yup, same stuff. Only the name has changed. 

It's really quite sad how they mercilessly slaughter all those poor, innocent naugas. They should put a documentary on AppleTV about the cruel and inhumane nauga farms!

mikethemartian

bonobob said:

"Vegan Leather," aka naugahyde.  Next year, they'll switch to something else, since this will put the naugas on the endangered species list.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2012/01/e29dbc9e15aef0fc25122e0d213104b7.jpg?w=1101my

jdw

I really dislike deceptive advertising, especially when it plays on silly political correctness like "vegan leather."  Call it what it is: "fake leather" or "pvc imitation leather." Eliminate the trickery.  It's the same with pricing like $999.99.  And to think, companies will always say, "all for less than $1,000"!!  Just call it a round figure like $1,000 and stop trying to deceive consumers with a penny.  Ditto for stupid gas station pricing.  Enough already!

But even if your iPhone case was Full Grain (the real deal), it still won't be thick enough to be robust over time. Sure, it will look beautiful the first few days or possibly weeks of use.  But at some point, you'll drop it on a corner, and then the thin leather will slightly rip out, get frayed, and look bad.  A normal thick piece of Full Grain Leather on something like a book or bag will age gracefully (patina) simply because they are designed differently, thicker, and fall to the ground differently than an iPhone.  

That is why I spent weeks checking leather cases for my brand new iPhone 15 Pro Max when I first bought it, hoping to find a Full Grain leather case for it that would last.  I couldn't because they don't exist, at any price.  (I'm talking about a lightweight CASE, not a slip cover or bag, mind you.)  So what I ultimately ended up with was a non-leather more durable case from Torras. No, it's not an ad for them.  It's just what I ultimately bought after weeks of research.  And to this day, it remains pristine.  I couldn't say the same for leather.

I mention all that to say that people have complained about FineWoven due to it being largely the same as leather (Full Grain or Vegan).  It's not built to last.  So a Vegan replacement won't be built to last either.  Maybe it will hide scratches better. Sure. But as I said, one drop to a corner, and you've got a bad looking "leather" case.  A drop on my Torras case doesn't result in that at all because it's not leather or trying to pretend to be leather.

Don't get me wrong.  I have purchased Apple's leather protectors in the past and loved them, such as the magnetically attached iPad covers, the first of which I bought back in 2012.  It looks great even today. But you don't carry an iPad with you wherever you do, and you often don't drop them on the corner of the device as a result.  The iPad covers are display covers only and not full device covers.  That matters.

So before people get all excited about Apple replacing FineWoven, you need to consider just how long your case will last and look nice during the time it lasts.  Anything leather, real or fake, on an iPhone really isn't something built to endure hard drops at the corners. And yes, I really do think that matters, even if some of you chime in with positive experiences about real leather iPhone cases.  Some people are lucky or blessed.

baconstang

Project codenamed "Elsie"...

DAalseth

I have no problem if someone wants to avoid leather. That’s there call, it’s the BS of calling it Vegan Leather when most of the time it’s petroleum based plastic that I object to. I’ve also run across various plastics marked Vegan Wool. It’s all just marketing BS. I do however respect those that are up front about what their product is. Otterbox makes a line of plant based cases. They are up front calling it Cactus Leather, because that’s what it is made from. https://www.otterbox.com/en-us/cactus-leather. There’s no silly trying to pretend that it’s vegan, if that term would even apply to something like a phone case. They tell you right up front that it’s leather-like material made from cactus. So if Apple wants to replace FineWoven products with something else that’s not leather, that’s fine. Just skip the hype and bad Mother Nature impersonators, and be honest with what it is. 

gatorguy

So Apple doesn't have a replacement for FineWoven cases?  Very surprising. 

chasm

gatorguy said:

So Apple doesn't have a replacement for FineWoven cases?  Very surprising. 

I don't have any insider information, but replacing things like this tends to be a process, and part of that process is letting the existing stock of [thing to be replaced] run thin before bringing out [thing that will replace it.]

Kind of like how Mac minis and regular iPads are not being replenished in the channel at the moment, at least not where I live.*

*other models may also be in short supply, I didn't inquire about them, just those two at my local supplier.

nitrokev

DAalseth said:

Vegan leather=plastic.

Not necessarily, vegan leather can be made from a range of natural sources, such a pineapple fibres, mushroom even grape