'Categorically Terrible,' and Other Early Reactions to Apple's New FineWoven Accessories

[clayj]

Got my FineWoven delivered a couple of days ago and opened it just to check it out before the new phone arrived. Really cheap feeling and so I sent back for a refund. Just popped into the Apple Store in the city where I live and some of the Apple employees were looking at the cases and making whispered comments about the poor quality. Back to silicone it is for me.

"Back to silicone it is for me."

I've really only ever used silicone cases. The leather cases always seemed to me like they'd be easily damaged and look bad, and they are more expensive. Silicone has a nice feel and even if it gets dinged, what's underneath is just more silicone.

 

[MacsRgr8]

A case that's more fragile than the phone it protects

Perhaps this is Apples attempt to encourage the ultimate sustainability - don't buy a case

And one step further.... do not buy a new phone...

 

[batfink]

Just buy a third party case. Apple will soon get the message nobody is interested in their nonsence

 

[God of Biscuits]

Not totally unexpected from Apple's save money at any cost approach to design.

That statement just does not jibe with reality.

 

[God of Biscuits]

What’s wrong with leather anyway?! It’s a byproduct of the tonnes of beef we all eat. I’d rather leather continue to be made than it go to waste… we’re still eating beef and the cattle are dying in any case. Bring back leather!

because there’s no further industrial chemical waste or cost to the climate, right?

 

[jamescanaday]

Can we just finally go back to the bumper cases Apple made for iPhone 4? Those were the best cases they’ve made yet.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Still better than anything made from a dead animal.

 

[kiranmk2]

This whole thing seems like green-washing from Apple. Yes, they have now removed some CO2 footprint from their products, but they haven't actually reduced the CO2 from being released.

As a (world) society, we need to eat less meat and especially beef. Cows release a lot of methane (worse than CO2), use up a lot of land and water - and for that those last two don't forget the land and water needed to grow the corn that is fed to cattle in North America. Yes, leather is a byproduct of the cow, but as has been stated above, it keeps the price of the meet down. If leather usage dropped, there would be less revenue per cow so meat prices would have to rise which would lead to less meat being consumed.

There are lots of people doing mental gymnastics, passing off leather as a byproduct or sustainable. It isn't. Just come out and state that you like leather and/or beef rather than trying to convince others (and likely yourself) that industrial cattle farming isn't harming the environment and contributing to climate change.

 

[bookcase]

There are positive opinions out there, too, which were ignored for this article. I like the blue FW case I got. I have no idea how well it'll hold up, but I don't plan on scraping my fingernails up and down the back and then doing a photoshoot so it catches the right angle to show the marks. I do agree that it's overpriced, but that's nothing new with Apple. This is mostly manufactured outrage.

 

[mazz0]

A case that's more fragile than the phone it protects

That's all cases. No case is made of a material that's harder than glass.

 

[till]

This is super disappointing to me mainly because the only purple-ish colored case they have is a FineWoven one. Not really a fan of any of the silicone case colors. I guess there's black.

 

[jonnysods]

I don't get paid for saying this, but people should check out Pitaka cases. They are durable, and so thin that it keeps the phone from getting too bulky. I got an Apple silicone cover just once, and I couldn't handle it. And I had a friend who got the leather one, and it cracked and peeled so fast I couldn't believe it for the price he paid for it.

 

[jmgregory1]

What Apple could/should have done, is just to stop making and selling cases. There was a time when no cell phone had a case or cover. AppleCare+ would cover any catastrophic damages, effectively negating the need for a case.

 

[bigjnyc]

In Apple marketing pictures, sure.

In real world pictures, it looks hideous:

Reminds me of this old vintage hard fabric couch my grandmother used to have... I hated that thing with a passion.

 

[indychris]

Thankfully, there are numerous third-party case makers, and most of their cases cost much less than Apple's. With that said, I'm glad Apple got rid of leather products. It's rare when I commend Tim Cook for anything, but this is one of those rare occasions. Although I eat meat and do wear leather shoes, I don't think it's right for a computer company like Apple to be selling animal products. It's just another sensitive political issue that is best for the company not to deal with. Selling leather is taking a stand on a potentially political issue, and that can isolate people.

Wait! It’s okay for YOU to justify killing cows so that you can walk around in style, but it’s wrong for Apple to sell phone accessories for phones that are stylish and durable made from the same products? 🤣

Next thing you know Al Gore will own multiple homes and fly on private jets!

I assume it’s okay for the NFL to use leather footballs but I should probably use rubber made from plants. Maybe Apple should diversify into FineWoven Footballs!

 

[bigjnyc]

The Verge is terrible. Most everything they write is clickbait. Nobody is forced to buy Apple‘s cases. I haven’t owned an Apple case in years. There are plenty of good 3rd party options out there. And if these cases don’t sell then Apple will be forced to come up with something better.

Nobody is forced to buy anything Apple ever.... But what does that have to do with publications reviewing things? So people shouldn't review things any more since people aren't forced to buy it? they should all close up shop then.

You keep attacking the verge as if they are making up some salacious take just to get clicks... but the way I see it they are voicing what I've seen from everyone else on youtube and even users here on this very forum that have received these in the mail..... I don't really read the verge tbh so I don't know what their practices are usually... but I think in this case they are spot on, and good on them for calling apple out on this crap.

 

[drzen]

Did they not test these for durability or worse, how did they still go ahead with it 😵‍💫

They wanted to test how far they can take you for a ride.

 

[XXPP]

made from trash, looks like trash, feels like trash, cost like... premium.
first time NOT buy for Apple case.

 

[triscuitbiscuit]

Returning the Fine Woven case I ordered. Opened it up and it just looked cheap and ugly.

 

[spiderman0616]

Just like the VisionPro, am I right

And titanium bands on the iPhones. Such chintzy materials.

 

[VTGuy79]

Thankfully, there are numerous third-party case makers, and most of their cases cost much less than Apple's. With that said, I'm glad Apple got rid of leather products. It's rare when I commend Tim Cook for anything, but this is one of those rare occasions. Although I eat meat and do wear leather shoes, I don't think it's right for a computer company like Apple to be selling animal products. It's just another sensitive political issue that is best for the company not to deal with. Selling leather is taking a stand on a potentially political issue, and that can isolate people.

They are still taking a political stand on the "issue". Their video with "mother nature" insulting the man wearing a leather jacket is an insult to those who like to wear leather and a wink to the propenents of "climate change".

 

[makingmark]

What Apple could/should have done, is just to stop making and selling cases. There was a time when no cell phone had a case or cover. AppleCare+ would cover any catastrophic damages, effectively negating the need for a case.

Indeed. That time was when phones were made from plastic. I used Nexus and Sony phones all the time without cases. And in my unpopular opinion, that’s a much better material for something you hold in your hand. But no, Apple convinced people that slippery fragile glass bricks are better. Because they “feel so premium”. Thank god I don’t have to read that anymore…. unfortunately it’s because now every good phone has to feel that way.

 

[GeoStructural]

Did they not test these for durability or worse, how did they still go ahead with it 😵‍💫

Apple cases and cables have long been among the worst in the market, they peel, scratch and lose good appearance quickly. The most expensive case I have ever owned was a leather one from Apple, that thing started to peel off within 3 months, I am better off using a cheap case from Amazon. The same goes for cables, third-party cables are of better quality and more durable, I have some that are older than 4 years... the ones Apple sells self-destroy after 1 year of use.

 

[spiderman0616]

I'm going to give mine a fair shake and not purposely scratch it up with my fingernails on day 1. If it ages on its own nicely, it stays. If it starts looking like garbage, it goes. There are plenty of other great cases out there.

But I'm not going to be like "I tried to damage this thing and it got damaged! What garbage!"

 

[Wildkraut]

USB-C is terrible example.

The EU mandate on USB-C cables has nothing to do with the environment.

People already have BILLIONS of functioning lightning cables and accessories in use, so forcing them to change this isn't an environmental deed, but rather quite the opposite.

The fact Apple delayed this transition for so long gave consumers time to adjust their purchasing decisions to reflect to coming reality.

That's certainly how it has played in our household - we've only bought new lightning cables where we absolutely need to, but with USB-C cables you can buy a 2 or 3 pack because you know you'll need them in the future.

Yeah, because using lightning cables until "AD 3000" in the Apple would work out, while watching the rest of the tech world moving on.

Sorry, but the day of trashing these lightning cables would have come the one or the other way, just bring em to a recycling yard near you and don't simply trash em.

It's Apple fault for not pushing USB-C earlier to their products, pure money grab of their side by stretching the life time of lightning. They could have included "USB-A to Lightning" cables with all their recent products, which is not incompatible with the BILLIONS of USB-A type Apple Chargers people already have in their drawer, or simply let you choose the one that fits most.

Now they are trying to money grab with USB-C cable speed limits, and green washing with fine-woven cases.
Same goes to glued and not replaceable hardware components in Apple devices.

Yeah, this is how environment friendly Apple is, almost zero!