FineWoven hot take: It’s fine?

So it sounds like a lot of people don’t like Apple’s new FineWoven material, which is used in the company’s new iPhone 15 cases instead of leather.

FineWoven has variously been described as plasticy, tacky (usually in the materials/stickiness sense), and cheap feeling. I received a (mulberry) FineWoven case this week and clapped it onto an iPhone 15 Pro. No one should be more surprised than me to find that… get ready…

I didn’t hate it.

At first.

In my brain, I’m a lovable contrarian, always happy to talk about price and accessibility when the rest of the world is going all wobbly for a new camera system, titanium or ProMotion. I relish the space I inhabit. But I did not expect to have an opinion, contrarian or otherwise, about FineWoven.

Here is where I confess that I care about cases. My phone has two; a leather wallet case from Tucah and the Smartish Gripmunk for when I’m at home.…