Production of Finewoven Material Cases Seems Discontinued
Mixed Reactions Due to High Price and Poor Quality
Apple's ambitious 'eco-friendly iPhone case' was ultimately discontinued due to weak demand.
On the 23rd (local time), US IT media outlet PhoneArena reported that Apple has stopped production of the Pine Woven material cases. The Pine Woven material case was designed for high-end premium phones, and Apple is expected to attempt case production using different materials next year.
The Pine Woven case was a material adopted by Apple for phone cases and Apple Watch straps instead of leather. While previous cases and straps were made from leather, using fabric-based Pine Woven helps reduce carbon emissions.
Apple has long put significant effort into recycling resources and reducing carbon emissions in its manufacturing processes. It even regularly publishes an environmental report spanning as many as 100 pages.
However, there was much controversy among consumers regarding the 'quality' of the Pine Woven case. IT media outlet The Verge reported that many criticized the Pine Woven case for looking messy compared to leather cases, and some opinions noted that its protective performance was inferior.
There was also significant controversy over the vulnerability of the protection performance. [Image source=YouTube capture]
In fact, when the iPhone 15 Pine Woven case was scratched five times with a fingernail, the scratch marks remained visible for over a week even after rubbing or wiping.
Ultimately, the popularity of the Pine Woven case declined steadily, and Apple appears to have decided to halt production. US Bloomberg News harshly criticized Pine Woven as "the biggest flop of the year," stating that "Apple's noble effort for eco-friendliness is facing its worst crisis."
Price is also a hurdle. On Apple's website, the Pine Woven case is priced at 85,000 KRW in Korea, far exceeding the cost of most phone cases.
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