Bloomberg: This iPhone accessory is Apple’s biggest flop this year

When Apple introduced a new material for phone cases and watch bands earlier this month, it was heralded as a groundbreaking alternative to leather.

However, consumers and critics saw no breakthrough. Instead, the fabric, which Apple calls FineWoven, has been criticized for being prone to scratches and stains, and its slippery feel has proven alienating to many.

So what the company started as an honorable effort to make its products carbon neutral now threatens to become one of the company’s biggest failures in 2023.

Apple launched FineWoven as an all-new fabric made from 68% recycled materials. It’s part of an effort to phase out leather across its product line, including iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands.

Apple: Feedback on FineWven

FineWoven failed to attract Apple fans and early adopters who bought the product before anyone else, and Federico Viticci, the blogger and podcaster who runs the site “MacStories,” is one of those buyers. He even posted it His new condition “acquired” a stigma after one of his dinners.

“I honestly think this is one of the worst accessories Apple has ever made,” he said. “I might throw it away now (This is very beneficial for the environment).”

Another YouTube video from the “MobileReviewsEh” channel shows how easily the case gets scratched. One blogger on the 512px website complained about this The holes in the case do not match the phone’s port or speakers. “FineWoven is pretty bad,” one Verge reviewer wrote.

In addition, this is an expensive product. The FineWven iPhone case costs $59, $10 more than the plastic and silicone versions sold by Apple — and significantly more expensive than options offered by third parties.

Unsatisfied consumers can always return the case — as with almost any Apple product — within 14 days of purchase.

However, it’s worth noting that there’s some irony in FineWoven products being the subject of controversy after the release of the iPhone 15, since that was the year Apple switched the phone to a USB-C port and it was expected to cause consumer outrage. .

With information from Bloomberg