Index – Tech – Apple may trash an entire product line

Last September, in addition to the unveiling of the iPhone 15 mobile family, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2, Apple also had something else up its sleeve – more than that, they changed their previously incredibly popular accessory lineup one by one. Until now, the company has made iPhone cases and Apple Watch straps out of leather in addition to silicone, but due to environmental protection – or rather cost reduction disguised as it – they switched to a completely new, recycled fabric material, which did not deliver the expected quality at all.

According to Apple, FineWoven cases have a soft, suede-like feel thanks to their durable microtwill weave, which is designed entirely with the environment in mind. According to them, as part of the design and manufacturing process, the cases have undergone thousands of hours of testing, so they not only look great, but also protect your iPhone from bumps and scratches. It is hard to argue with this, but the most important are the few sentences that the company displayed on its website last year, after thousands of users began to complain about the quality of FineWoven cases.

This high-quality case is built with a durable design to protect your iPhone. FineWoven fabric may show signs of wear over time. And the use of MagSafe accessories leaves little traces on it. If you are worried about this, you should choose a silicone or transparent case for your iPhone

– can be read in the Apple web store. The company therefore admitted that the quality of the cases was not necessarily up to the expected level, but they have not been able to provide a real solution since then. Now it looks like they want to fix the problem by shutting down the production lines producing the FineWowen accessories one by one and trying a completely new solution; leather accessories will therefore still not make a comeback.

But why did it have to be changed?

As you know, Apple has a plan, the description of which is extremely simple, but the implementation is even less so – the company wants to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, which means that their environmental footprint would be equal to zero; this also applies to the supply chain and the filling of the products they sell.

The first stage of the plan was when in 2020, with the introduction of the iPhone 12 series, the company stopped equipping iPhones with power adapters. They justified their decision by saying that by abandoning chargers, they could save 861,000 tons of copper, zinc and tin annually. Apple’s second argument was to reduce the size of iPhone boxes, thanks to which they can pack almost twice as many phones into the trunks of trucks, ships and planes than before.

The company is also constantly reducing its environmental footprint, using less and less water, many forests have been planted on several continents of the planet, and freight transport is done by ship if possible. Knowing this, it was only a matter of time before Apple stopped selling leather accessories, and the day arrived last year.

It came easily, it can go easily

However, as easily as Apple accessories made of new material came, they will probably go just as quickly – according to a recent leak, Apple has already stopped the production lines that make FineWowen cases, wallets and watch bands, because with the 2024 iPhones and Apple Watches would once again present a range of accessories made from a new material. There is no concrete information yet on what material will replace the mostly recycled fabric fibers, but insiders believe that Apple’s choice will fall on the “luxury” textile material known under the brand name Alcantara.

Alcantara is the brand name of a textile material similar to polished leather, with very excellent usage properties, which is used to upholster luxury clothing products and high-value furniture and vehicles. Although it is often presented as leather in advertisements, it is actually not made of leather, but of synthetic fiber material, using a textile process – for this reason, it could perfectly replace FineWowen accessories, since the product could also be included in Apple’s 2030 plan. Alcantara is used in the largest quantity by the automotive industry as a coating for the seats of high-value passenger cars and for the interior upholstery of the passenger compartment. However, they are also used for a similar purpose in other vehicles such as yachts and airplanes.

So far, phone cases and watch straps have not yet been mass-produced from the textile, but due to its high durability, it would hold its own in these areas as well.