Apple is known for the quality of its products, so it’s all the more surprising when the company occasionally releases a flop. But Apple’s FineWoven cases, introduced with the iPhone 15 line, have been more than just a flop – they’ve been a disaster, and now it seems all but certain that they’re destined for the scrap heap.
That’s because a prominent leaker has claimed that Apple is planning to replace its FineWoven cases with a new alternative. That’s according to Majin Bu on X (formerly Twitter), who shared two images of what they say will be the new cases and the full color palette they will apparently come in.
Many of the colors are the same as the existing FineWoven cases, including blue, green, black, and taupe. Apple’s mulberry color has apparently been replaced with dark purple, and a new gray version is also said to be in the works. Majin Bu did not explain what material the new cases would be made of, other than that it would be something new to replace FineWoven.
Majin Bu has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks, correctly predicting some upcoming features and wrong about others. Interestingly, the account appeared to retract the second image they posted when someone pointed out that it depicted existing leather cases, suggesting their due diligence wasn’t up to the level it should have been.
What’s the problem with FineWoven?
To say that Apple’s FineWoven cases have been met with disappointment would be an understatement. The products are made from a micro-twill material and were intended as a more eco-friendly alternative to Apple’s leather cases. Yet they were met with almost immediate backlash.
Users complained that the cases scratched easily and that these scratches could not be removed or masked. For others, the material was a magnet for smudges and blemishes, leading one reporter to joke that their FineWoven case was so dirty it posed a “biomedical problem.”
It seems this criticism didn’t go unnoticed by Apple, and reports suggest that the company has halted production of FineWoven cases and that it could announce that it’s discontinuing them during the iPhone 16 event later today. That gives some credence to Majin Bu’s claim that something new is on the way to replace the FineWoven.
Ultimately, we’ll find out later today when Apple kicks off its iPhone 16 event and unveils a bunch of new phones, with potentially new cases on the way. We’ll be covering each new announcement as they happen, so make sure you check out our iPhone 16 launch liveblog to find out the fate of FineWoven, and if you want to tune in, here’s how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event live.