While at my Apple Store picking up my XV Pro Max, I also thought the case would not hold up in the long run and it would be a dust/lint magnet. While it may be others cup of tea , it was not mine. I selected the Apple’s clear case and I will use it until I order a leather case from Vaja Cases. I have been using their leather cases for many years without a single issue.
FineWeave isn't eco-friendly at all. Leather is a nose-to-tail product made from skins adding revenue to farmers. Replacing something natural with a plastic product that isn't durable - like not durable at all - is the worst possible solution. FineWeave doesn't even patinate nicely when used.
It seems Mother Nature will have to visit Cupertino soon to fix this. Thanks to AI for an honest review!
The carbon-neutral products are not up to Apple standards. I've returned my Nike watch. The Nike sports band was horrible. Nothing like the previous bands. No durability either way. I'd be replacing this every 3 to 4 months with everyday use.
Where is the benefit of being carbon neutral when you have to replace the item every few months?
???? THAT IS the benefit. They get to claim carbon neutral in manufactoring AND you have to replace every few months. Win-win for Apple.
If I want something in leather that is what I am buying. These do-gooder products appeal to few and are most are not even remotely equivalent. It’s good for third parties making leather cases though.
I wonder how many people complaining of the new carbon neutral materials are also the same far left people calling for carbon neutral green everything? My guess - most.
I don't understand the virtue signaling around leather. The animals are slaughtered for their meat anyway, so what are we supposed to do--throw the skins away?
I don't understand the virtue signaling around leather. The animals are slaughtered for their meat anyway, so what are we supposed to do--throw the skins away?
While there IS tons of virtue signaling generally (and I won't defend that) I THINK it's not about the slaughter of animals, but instead the process for turning raw skin into a finished leather that prevented them from claiming carbon neutrality.
Are there any third-party leather cases that are more like Apple's previous leather models? Most of what I have seen are extremely thick, if beautiful, leather. Just not looking for that kind of bulk. Frankly, I found Apple's leather cases perfect for my phones and my use.
The article feels overblown and full of opinions about the case ‘likely’ failing in the future. Based on what data other than your opinion? Super negative articles get a lot more clicks I suppose. To be carbon neutral we need to move away from leather. I got the Evergreen fine woven case and MagSafe wallet with my iPhone 15 Pro Max a few days ago. I like it. A lot. It feels modern, high quality, durable, soft and comfortable to hold, with nice color matched aluminum buttons on the side. Just because it uses some high quality textured plastic in places it’s automatically cheap feeling? Actually no it’s not - it feels good and solid in hand. I had an Apple leather case on my previous iPhone - the 14 Pro Max - and I actually prefer the feeling of finewoven - soft and cool rather than hot and sticky. I don't understand what all the whining is about. Very happy with my new iPhone 15 Pro Max and finewoven case.
Well said. I got the Pacific Blue of the case and wallet. They feel fantastic. Of course time will tell with wear but it seems this has been really overblown and is very subjective by reviewers.
... To be carbon neutral we need to move away from leather ... - nonsense right there
I don't understand the virtue signaling around leather. The animals are slaughtered for their meat anyway, so what are we supposed to do--throw the skins away?
It’s everything - water and feeding them - what can be used to plant food for people. Cows burping and farting - greenhouse gases. Not very animal friendly keeping them… stress by slaughtering… just to name some of the arguments that may speak against using animal products - in nutrition, cars, furniture, protective cases… not saying i support/agree with all of them, but you asked for the reasons
I don't understand the virtue signaling around leather. The animals are slaughtered for their meat anyway, so what are we supposed to do--throw the skins away?
While there IS tons of virtue signaling generally (and I won't defend that) I THINK it's not about the slaughter of animals, but instead the process for turning raw skin into a finished leather that prevented them from claiming carbon neutrality.
Yes, tanning, especially on an industrial scale, is very toxic. The chemicals used, which include arsenic, are highly toxic to the environment and wildlife. There are numerous cases of cancers blamed on chemicals from tanning.
That said, it is possible to tan leather in a more environmentally friendly way, but not on a scale to satisfy consumer demand for leather goods.
I browsed the these cases in our local Apple this past weekend, and I was not impressed. They feel cheap to me as well. Certainly not up to the standards a $60 price tag would imply.
Lots of pooh-poohing the FineWoven cases durability. Did the leather case hold up great? It never seemed that way to me, but I was never going to pay $60 for an iPhone protector anyway. If you still want leather there are many options. Either Apple will lower their prices (and then potentially discontinue the product) because they don't sell, or they'll be popular enough to keep them about where are now. Either way, we all know we can get leather cases from many other sources.
I saw the finewoven case at the Pentagon City Apple Store on Friday and it seemed not that high quality and overpriced. I'd prefer the silicone case to finewoven.
Honestly asking, what is the environmental issue with the leather case? The leather cases are reusing the wrapping from my beef, it's not like cows are produced to use for iPhone cases and the meat is an afterthought is it? Is the process of making the leather and using it worse than just composting the cow hides? What is it? I know my tone might seem snarky but seriously isn't there just an enormous amount of cowhide out there? Wouldn't an iPhone case be better than tossing it?
The chemicals and water used during the tanning process would probably be a big part of it.
I agree, leather is a by product of the food industry. It also is a natural product and ages extremely well. I've had the Apple leather case for 2 years and it is only now starting to break up at the edges after a lot of abuse. I will be looking for a leather case from another provider. Any suggestions? I saw someone mention Nomad
Sorry Andrew -- I'm very interested in whether my next Apple watch band should be leather or FineWoven and unfortunately this review strains credibility. You report snags, lint, stains, scratches, and other durability issues. But every photo in the review shows a brand-new, nice looking FineWoven case. It's a physical product, show the photos! TTIUWP.
The fact that they’re charging the same amount of money for an inferior product that costs them a fraction of the amount to manufacture is just pure greed.
I saw the finewoven case at the Pentagon City Apple Store on Friday and it seemed not that high quality and overpriced. I'd prefer the silicone case to finewoven.
Honestly asking, what is the environmental issue with the leather case? The leather cases are reusing the wrapping from my beef, it's not like cows are produced to use for iPhone cases and the meat is an afterthought is it? Is the process of making the leather and using it worse than just composting the cow hides? What is it? I know my tone might seem snarky but seriously isn't there just an enormous amount of cowhide out there? Wouldn't an iPhone case be better than tossing it?
The chemicals and water used during the tanning process would probably be a big part of it.
I agree, leather is a by product of the food industry. It also is a natural product and ages extremely well. I've had the Apple leather case for 2 years and it is only now starting to break up at the edges after a lot of abuse. I will be looking for a leather case from another provider. Any suggestions? I saw someone mention Nomad
That isn't quote correct. The hide is a byproduct of the food industry, but the tanning process to make leather is a different story and I don't know of a single mass producer that has used so-called "natural" methods for tanning these days. Even if we did use some old-timey "natural" methods, like scraping oak bark for its tannins, that has a cost. What is the ratio of cut oak trees for its various uses in lumber to the amount of bark obtained? Is there a chemical option that can be created that would do a better job at a lower cost? What other ingredients and byproducts are created to create leather? How much of the tanned leather is wasted (something I've noticed happens so that the material is consistent for the entire piece needed)?
I can't say whether leather produced at an industrial scale is or isn't better for the environment than reusing discarded plastics, but I can't say it's better simply because one initial aspect of it is a byproduct of another industry or that someone calls it "natural". There's a lot of date to crunch to get an informed answer.
Sorry Andrew -- I'm very interested in whether my next Apple watch band should be leather or FineWoven and unfortunately this review strains credibility. You report snags, lint, stains, scratches, and other durability issues. But every photo in the review shows a brand-new, nice looking FineWoven case. It's a physical product, show the photos! TTIUWP.
If you want something more real-time, feel free to head into an Apple Store. They change them daily, and they still look terrible after a few hours.
Sorry Andrew -- I'm very interested in whether my next Apple watch band should be leather or FineWoven and unfortunately this review strains credibility. You report snags, lint, stains, scratches, and other durability issues. But every photo in the review shows a brand-new, nice looking FineWoven case. It's a physical product, show the photos! TTIUWP.
If you want something more real-time, feel free to head into an Apple Store. They change them daily, and they still look terrible after a few hours.
From normal use? Or from people intentionally trying to stress the material? I guarantee you that if you handed me your leather iPhone case I could put some rather large scratches into it with my fingernails in a matter of seconds.
I saw the finewoven case at the Pentagon City Apple Store on Friday and it seemed not that high quality and overpriced. I'd prefer the silicone case to finewoven.
Honestly asking, what is the environmental issue with the leather case? The leather cases are reusing the wrapping from my beef, it's not like cows are produced to use for iPhone cases and the meat is an afterthought is it? Is the process of making the leather and using it worse than just composting the cow hides? What is it? I know my tone might seem snarky but seriously isn't there just an enormous amount of cowhide out there? Wouldn't an iPhone case be better than tossing it?
The chemicals and water used during the tanning process would probably be a big part of it.
I agree, leather is a by product of the food industry. It also is a natural product and ages extremely well. I've had the Apple leather case for 2 years and it is only now starting to break up at the edges after a lot of abuse. I will be looking for a leather case from another provider. Any suggestions? I saw someone mention Nomad
That isn't quote correct. The hide is a byproduct of the food industry, but the tanning process to make leather is a different story and I don't know of a single mass producer that has used so-called "natural" methods for tanning these days. Even if we did use some old-timey "natural" methods, like scraping oak bark for its tannins, that has a cost. What is the ratio of cut oak trees for its various uses in lumber to the amount of bark obtained? Is there a chemical option that can be created that would do a better job at a lower cost? What other ingredients and byproducts are created to create leather? How much of the tanned leather is wasted (something I've noticed happens so that the material is consistent for the entire piece needed)?
I can't say whether leather produced at an industrial scale is or isn't better for the environment than reusing discarded plastics, but I can't say it's better simply because one initial aspect of it is a byproduct of another industry or that someone calls it "natural". There's a lot of date to crunch to get an informed answer.
There are any number of leather purveyors that don't use arsenic, cobalt, or other chemicals in tanning. Check Bridge of Weir. The leather used in BMW i4s and Polestar 2s use natural tanning. So the argument begins to fall flat at scale.
So I hope they're using reclaimed memory foam . . . I'm still wondering how virgin petroleum products are somehow more sustainable or carbon neutral than a natural byproduct that, if Apple hadn't jumped on the "mother nature" bandwagon (and you know Octavia Spencer walked out of there with a Louis Vuitton on her arm), could be made sustainably and without harsh "forever" chemicals.
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It seems Mother Nature will have to visit Cupertino soon to fix this. Thanks to AI for an honest review!
I will be looking for a leather case from another provider. Any suggestions? I saw someone mention Nomad
I can't say whether leather produced at an industrial scale is or isn't better for the environment than reusing discarded plastics, but I can't say it's better simply because one initial aspect of it is a byproduct of another industry or that someone calls it "natural". There's a lot of date to crunch to get an informed answer.
There are any number of leather purveyors that don't use arsenic, cobalt, or other chemicals in tanning. Check Bridge of Weir. The leather used in BMW i4s and Polestar 2s use natural tanning. So the argument begins to fall flat at scale.