a new material for phone cases and watchbands earlier this month, the company heralded it as a groundbreaking alternative to leather with “subtle lustre and a soft, suede-like feel”., has been panned for being prone to scratches and stains — with an almost-slippery feel that’s off-putting to some. What began as a high-minded effort to make Apple’s products carbon neutral is now threatening to be one of the company’s biggest misfires of 2023.
One product review video posted to YouTube by MobileReviewsEh shows how easily the case can retain scratches. And a blogger at 512 pixels complained that the holes on the case don’t line up with the port on the phone or the speakers. A reviewer for the Verge put it bluntly: “FineWoven is very bad.” There’s some irony in FineWoven being one of the biggest controversies surrounding the launch of the iPhone 15. This is the year that Apple switched the phone to a USB-C connector, and that was expected to trigger outrage among consumers.