Moof!

Earlier this week, there have been reports that Apple has stopped the production of its FineWoven accessories. These were introduced with the iPhone 15 series last year – the move away from leather was a key part of the Apple 2030 pledge to bring the company’s net emissions to zero. If you believe the online discourse, there won’t be many mourners turning up to FineWoven’s funeral – it seems to be universally disliked as a fragile and perishable material, and one which pales in comparison to the soft, luxurious leather accessories of yesteryear.

I bought a FineWoven MagSafe wallet in taupe on the day they were announced. I had a leather wallet which was wearing out, but jumped at the chance to replace it with a more ethical and environmentally-friendly alternative. Although not the subject of this post, the ethics of the leather industry is complicated, and it’s too simplistic to say that it’s simply the byproduct of the meat industry (which itself is often cruel and undoubtedly has a negative impact on the environment). As a vegetarian, I jumped at the chance to own something made of a more forward-thinking material.

Here is the wallet after around 7 months of use. It definitely looks used, but I’d argue it’s no better or worse than any ‘patina’ which a leather product develops. The main wear and tear is a darkening around the edges, which always has happened on the leather wallets, too. Although an extreme example, here is what a California Poppy wallet looked like after 12 months of use:

In the first few weeks of the FineWoven era, there were multiple reports of display units in Apple Stores showing obvious scratches. In reality, these scratches do appear but do also seem to fade over time – again, much like how leather behaves.

I’m not pretending that FineWoven doesn’t have any durability issues. Some of the more egregious problems include the iPhone case’s plastic sides peeling away from the fabric, misaligned USB-C cutouts and it being much more susceptible to stains. It’s not a perfect replacement for leather, but it’s not categorically awful, either. It makes different trade offs that annoy some people, and please others. It’s fine: nothing more, nothing less.

The biggest problem with FineWoven is its positioning in Apple’s lineup as their premium offering. There is not much inherent in the material that makes it obviously better or more luxurious than silicone, and that is a problem when it sells for more money. If this were a similarly priced alternative for people who want a different option to silicone, I don’t think it would have received the backlash that it garnered upon launch. Comparison, they say, is the thief of joy, and FineWoven was on a hiding (no pun intended) to nothing if people expected it to be a like-for-like leather replacement.

Looking ahead, what should Apple do next? Even though I am not a complete FineWoven doomsayer, it’s hard to see how Apple can keep producing the accessories in the long-term when it has such a poor reputation. Going back to leather is unthinkable – Apple is stubborn at the best of times, but rowing back on a key pledge to meet their 2030 goal for net zero emissions seems impossible. Instead, I expect FineWoven is either silently sunsetted this September, or a new and improved ‘luxury’ material is used for Apple’s high-end accessories.

Some options? An Alcantara phone case would probably not be much more durable, but at least has the reputation and feel of something very high-end. Another possibility is some kind of plant-based leather. Over the past few years, many different companies have sprung up to supply leather alternatives made out of a plethora of plant-based materials. One is a pineapple leaf textile called Piñatex, which looks more like cow leather than you may imagine. There are also leather alternatives made from other leaves or mushrooms. Perhaps the most entertaining scenario is Apple using… apples. They could also drop their top-end accessories altogether and go all-in on silicone for phone cases and textiles for watch bands (I can envisage a scenario where wallets and AirTag holders are left to third parties).

I look forward to seeing what path Apple go down, and commend them on at least trying to get away from leather as a material in their products. Nothing will ever please everyone, but that’s… fine.