Apple’s $59 Fake-Suede iPhone Case Is Its Biggest Dud of 2023
When Apple Inc. introduced a new material for phone cases and watchbands earlier this month, the company heralded it as a groundbreaking alternative to leather with “subtle luster and a soft, suede-like feel.”
Consumers and reviewers haven't seen it that way. The fabric, which Apple calls FineWoven, has been panned for being prone to scratches and stains — with an almost-slippery feel that's off-putting to some. What began as a high-minded effort to make Apple's products carbon neutral is now threatening to be one of the company's biggest misfires of 2023.
Apple describes FineWoven as an all-new textile that's made from 68% post-consumer recycled material. It's part of a push to phase out leather throughout its product line, including iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands, in a step toward being carbon neutral across the company's entire global operations.
But FineWoven has yet to clear its first hurdle: Winning over the Apple fanatics and early adopters who snapped up the product before anyone else. Federico Viticci, a blogger and podcaster who runs the MacStories site, is one such user. He posted on Mastodon that he saw a stain on his FineWoven case after going out for dinner.
“I honestly think this is one of the worst accessories Apple's produced,” he said. “I may just throw this out now. (Great for the environment!)”
One product review video posted to YouTube by MobileReviewsEh shows how easily the case can retain scratches. And a blogger at 512 pixels complained that the holes on the case don't line up with the port on the phone or the speakers. A reviewer for the Verge put it bluntly: “FineWoven is very bad.”
A representative for the Cupertino, California-based company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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