FineWoven V2

Apple cooks up a new replacement for its replacement for leather.

Author

Leander Kahney
August 19, 2025

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Back in 2023, Apple made a big push into new, low-carbon materials for iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands.

The company launched several new materials for its bands and cases, most of them made from significant portions of recycled material.

There was a Sport Loop Apple Watch band, for example, that used 82% recycled yarn, and Nike Sport bands made from 32% recycled fluoroelastomer — visible as colorful flakes in the new straps.

The most famous — or rather, infamous — material was called “FineWoven,” an alternative to leather that wasn’t “pleather.” Made from 70% recycled material, it boasted lower carbon emissions than animal products, but delivered a premium, “suedelike” feel.

Unfortunately, FineWoven bombed. Unlike leather, which tends to get better with age, FineWoven didn’t.

The new material tended to fall apart after a few weeks of use. It scratched easily, frayed at the edges, and discolored quickly. Apple quietly dropped it a few months after it debuted.

But Apple remains undeterred in its quest to create a better, greener alternative to leather. Cupertino appears to be launching a line of iPhone 17 cases made from a new synthetic fabric that offers the same benefits as FineWoven, without the drawbacks, according to a new leak.

Here’s why the new eco-friendly material might successfully replace FineWoven.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • There are not a ton of big changes in the latest iOS 26 beta; it’s mostly bug fixes. But if you’re running the beta and the glitches are driving you batty, here’s how to safely downgrade back to iOS 18.

  • For pros working with large files like 8K video, OWC offers a new line of incredibly fast Thunderbolt 5 SSDs.

  • Charging bricks continue to shrink while becoming ever more powerful. A new one — appropriately called “Supertiny” — can pump out 65W — enough to power up a MacBook. We reviewed the Supertiny and found it’s generally great, with one caveat.

  • Apple TV+ plans to stream The Dink, a new comedy movie about pickleball. What’s a dink, you might ask? I had to research it myself. It’s a signature pickleball move that’s perhaps the most important shot in the whole game.

  • After professing my interest in the upcoming iPhone Air yesterday, I thought a significant number of readers might be keen on it also. Wrong! Yesterday’s poll results show an overwhelming disinterest in the product. See below.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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One more thing ...

❝

Everything I do depends on other members of our species and the shoulders that we stand on. And a lot of us want to contribute something back to our species and to add something to the flow. It's about trying to express something in the only way that most of us know how — because we can't write Bob Dylan songs or Tom Stoppard plays. We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that came before us, and to add something to that flow. That's what has driven me.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

Does FineWoven V2 seem any good?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: Any interest in switching to the iPhone Air?

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