Last year, Apple ditched all of its leather accessories in favor for a new material. Called FineWoven, it was supposed to be better than leather while being environmentally friendlier.
Alas, it didn’t go exactly as planned. FineWoven cases and accessories look fine new, but many users complain that they get worn out faster than leather. I’ve used a couple FineWoven cases and wallets for nearly a year now, and can confirm that they look pretty shoddy right now.
There’s good news ahead, though. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, stock of FineWoven iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands is “at all-time lows,” ahead of Apple’s Sept. 9 iPhone launch event.
This could mean that Apple is preparing to replace FineWoven accessories with something else; perhaps a new version of the material, or a new material entirely. It could also mean, however, that the company is merely looking to update the lineup with new colors, as well as support for the new devices it’s about to launch.
A report in April said that Apple will ditch FineWoven for a different, non-leather material, but a later update to the report claimed that Apple will still produce another round of FineWoven accessories, only in new colors.
Personally, I’d like to see some sort of update to FineWoven. The first version of the material hasn’t stood the test of time well, with several polls showing that the majority of consumers strongly dislikes it. Perhaps it’s time for FineWoven 2.0?
