Expensive – and unfortunately bad too: It’s not just cynics who extol the virtues of Apple’s new “miracle material” FineWoven aka “Fine Fabric”, which is supposed to be a kind of high-quality leather replacement. The idea: Apple replaces climate-harming leather with a recyclable, woven plastic blend. The problem: Anyone who wants one of these… iPhone cases are available from the manufacturer for 69 euros Buys, gets something only lasts a short time. First you see scratches on the back that can no longer be removed, later the whole material peels off from the edge (see picture).
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Retreat silently?
To date, Apple has not provided any information about why this is happening, how quality control can fail in this way, or what else the company plans to do with customer disappointment. As can be heard, the iPhone company at least quietly takes back FineWoven products in the event of complaints or at least exchanges them. But this does not solve the fundamental quality problem.
Accordingly, there is always speculation that Apple could simply put an end to the misery – and remove the “excellent tissue” from the market. The last person to speak was the well-known Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who has good contacts at Apple headquarters. According to his information, stocks of Finewoven products are “At an all-time low” On Apple.
Rotten banana
However, Finewoven accessories can still be purchased, but this may also be because the products are quite unpopular. Low inventory means that the manufacturer has either decided to scrap the whole “vegan leather” experiment or, alternatively, has decided to overhaul the entire product range. How the latter could happen is unclear – Apple would probably have to source replacement materials from scratch and, above all, establish a proper quality control for the product line, which it is currently failing at completely.
Rarely has an Apple product received such harsh reviews. The Wall Street Journal quoted gadget reporter Joanna Stern in a memorable sentence summing up her experiences with the “fine fabric” in a newsletter last spring: “The edges are peeling, the fabric is scratchy like an old CD, and it’s turning brown like a rotten banana.”
(B.Sc.)
