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            iFixit Puts Apple's FineWoven Case Under the Microscope

   Adam Engst

   Apple made much about eliminating leather in its products in favor of a
   new FineWoven fabric for iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands. [1]Initial
   reports have been critical, but leave it to iFixit to take a closer
   look'much closer, thanks to a fancy digital microscope. In iFixit's
   teardown of Apple's FineWoven iPhone case, [2]Arthur Shi writes:

     The FineWoven fabric looks great'as long as you don't touch it. But,
     what if you do? What if you scratched the fabric with a key or
     fingernail? Because the weave is so tight, the FineWoven fabric
     should be pretty durable and tear-resistant. However, since its
     threads are so fine, it's also very easy to mar the pristine weave.
     When we scratched the surface, the jostled threads didn't actually
     break, nor was the dye damaged. Rather, the scratch-jostled fibers
     reflect light irregularly compared to the untouched bunches,
     creating a lasting visual mark. The thread itself is relatively
     soft, so most pocket items will leave an impression.

   It's too bad FineWoven is vulnerable to marring and stains from liquids
   containing oil and vinegar. For my iPhone 15 Pro, I'm sticking with a
   [3]Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 case (that has met my needs perfectly;
   see '[4]Three Wallet Cases: Bellroy, Encased, and Smartish,' 26
   September 2022); for my Apple Watch Series 9, I'm using the standard
   nylon Sport Loop band, but I'll be curious to hear how FineWoven holds
   up in real-world usage. Regardless, I'm a sucker for macro photography,
   and iFixit's article has photos of the FineWoven fabric at
   magnifications up to 700x. Even better, you can download the images for
   use as wallpaper.

   [5]Read original article

References

   1. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/20/23882255/apple-iphone-15-finewoven-case-wallet-bad
   2. https://www.ifixit.com/News/82789/unweaving-the-mystery-apples-finewoven-case-under-the-microscope
   3. https://smartish.com/products/wallet-slayer-vol-1-card-case-for-iphone-15-pro
   4. https://tidbits.com/2022/09/26/three-wallet-cases-bellroy-encased-and-smartish/
   5. https://www.ifixit.com/News/82789/unweaving-the-mystery-apples-finewoven-case-under-the-microscope

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