Apple debuted a new lineup of iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands made of a new material called “FineWoven” replacing its leather accessories. Early reports about the new cases have been less than kind.
Now, teardown site iFixit obtained one of the accessories and decided to take it apart and put it under a digital microscope to get a closer look. iFixit viewed the FineWoven fabric at 52x and 490x magnification, showing that it is made up of bundles of tightly woven fibers.
Each fiber is much smaller than a strand of hair, measuring about six microns thick. The individual fibers are used to create up threads that are around 150 microns thick. iFixit says the microtwill material that Apple is using is quite similar to high-end jackets offered by companies like Patagonia and Arc’teryx.
When the FineWoven fabric is scratched, the fibers don’t break, but the scratch does cause the affected fibers to reflect light irregularly, which means there’s a visual mark. The softness of the material also means that items in the pocket with the case can leave an indentation.
This jibes with comments from The Verge‘s Alison Johnson had this to say:
When I popped the MagSafe wallet out of its box, I could clearly see some places where it was already showing wear along the edges. Little bits of lint immediately caught on the fabric, too. And then there’s the fingernail test.
…When you scratch FineWoven, the results are seemingly permanent. When we first inspected the cases after picking them up at Apple Park, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel picked one up and ran his fingernails across it five times — and that was all it took to leave a trail of indelible scuffs on the fabric. The scratches are still there a week later, no matter how many times I’ve tried “buffing” it out by rubbing my finger over it.
The FineWoven case did stain when iFixit exposed it to hot sauce and oil, though it did resist coffee. FineWoven case owners can expect to see the case become stained.
iFixit cut into the case to see how it was assembled. The case has the FineWoven fabric on the outside, with a gray foam inside. Under the gray foam is a rigid plastic sheet, MagSafe hardware, white foam, another rigid plastic sheet, and an inner layer of FineWoven fabric.
iFixit suggests using a Durable Water Repellent spray to protect a FineWoven case to make the case more resistant to staining and liquid.
