According to the Verge and many others, Apple’s new $60 FineWoven iPhone cases are terrible, showing smudges and damage right away. Is this FineWovenGate or something else?

It seems like people are pretty happy with the new iPhone 15. The switch to USB-C appears to have happened without the predicted outrage from buyers, and the other unusual updates (the swapping of a mute switch for the action button, for example) haven’t irked anyone. So it’s been left to Apple’s new non-cowhide FineWoven cases to step up to the port plate and grab one for the team. Apparently it’s the worst case ever made.

“The decision to switch from leather can be seen as a double-edged sword. While it is a step toward sustainability, it appears to have compromised the durability and aesthetic aging that customers valued so much with the leather cases,” tech analyst and writer Younes El Kacimi told Lifewire via email.

It always seemed a little odd that a company as environmentally conscious as Apple would still use animal hides to make its products, but that's all over now. Apple's FineWoven cases are the replacement for the now-discontinued leather cases. They're made largely from post-consumer recycled "content," which presumably means plastic (most likely polyester). The material is a very finely woven twill-like fabric that covers the back, with a slightly sturdier version used for the sides of the case.