Apple Fans Get Buyer’s Remorse With Delicate FineWoven Cases Replacing Leather
Image via Apple
Apple has peeled back the leather for good and introduced sustainable ‘FineWoven’ cases and accessories in its stead. Crafted from “durable micro-twill” of a 68% post-consumer recycled composition, the proprietary material promises a “soft, suede-like feel.”
The line is marketed as a premium array, and it consists of US$59 iPhone cases and MagSafe wallets, US$99 Apple Watch bands, and US$35 AirTag holders.
While the Cupertino giant proclaims that the accessories have undergone “thousands of hours of testing,” it details that the material “may show wear over time” and “leave slight imprints.”
As customers have figured out, “over time” can be as short as under a day. For instance, Parker Ortolani, a product manager for the Vox Media brand, has shared a photo of FineWoven cases looking scratched and stained at an Apple retail store after being displayed for no longer than a day.
Here you can see FineWoven cases after less than a day on retail shelves. Not great. pic.twitter.com/9RwCAax7sG
— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) September 23, 2023
Ortolani notes that the option would have been perceived as more satisfactory “if it wasn’t the premium option.” The silicone variants “feel nicer,” he says, even though they’re cheaper.
Dang, the Apple Store hasn’t even been open for 30 minutes and the FineWoven cases already have very noticeable scratches. pic.twitter.com/YUNda6uilj
— Holden Satterwhite (@hesatter) September 22, 2023
Elsewhere, users are lamenting that the quality—although feeling “pretty nice”—doesn’t match the premium pricing, with some calling the disparity “insulting.”
All of the FineWoven cases I saw in the Apple Store today were in bad condition. I think they feel like a cheap nylon raincoat. Not a fan. pic.twitter.com/sfH0CesgPA
— Hartley Charlton (@HartleyCharlton) September 24, 2023
apple’s new FineWoven case is actually super nice for five minutes
— jon prosser (@jon_prosser) September 21, 2023
A number of shoppers even reported returning their FineWoven accessories.
As previously reported, FineWoven items are also prone to discoloration when exposed to saltwater or other substances.
But blemishes aren’t the only complaint these accessories are picking up. Per MacRumors, users have also noticed a slight misalignment with the USB-C port cutout on their iPhone cases, though the problem doesn’t seem to be universal.
I had to return it… it’s pretty bad pic.twitter.com/dgUO4Dn9AW
— Lukas ðŸšðŸ”¨ (@OprahsGift) September 24, 2023
In a blog post on 512 Pixels, Relay FM co-founder Stephen Hackett gripes that this “level of sloppiness” is unprecedented for Apple, and that he’s astonished the company had let it happen.
Back to scolding Apple and their accessories. FineWoven cases are rubbish as their quality is very questionable.
— Liandr (@tech_instigator) September 23, 2023
How could cutouts not be centered? pic.twitter.com/9ctENyZMPW
[via MacRumors and Boing Boing, images via various sources]
