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A leaker claims that Apple is considering stopping offering all its silicone accessory offerings. In case true, this might indicate Apple’s serious dedication to its environmental initiatives, leading to a series of changes across its products.
Leaker and Apple product collector @KosutamiSan (via MacRumors) made the claim, which will reportedly affect silicone rubber and fluoroelastomer materials Apple has been using for its variety of accessories. Hence, this will include every silicon accessory: iPhone Silicone Case with MagSafe, Sport Band, Solo Loop, and AirTag Loop.
This follows earlier reports about Apple discontinuing its iPhone leather cases. @KosutamiSan also shared some details about this matter, saying that the cases will be called “FineWoven.” Earlier this month, the account shared that the cases will come in specific colors: black, mulberry, taupe, evergreen, pacific blue, wisteria, antique white, butter yellow, orange, and pink. Aside from this, it was revealed that the iPhone 15 cases would be made of “eco-fiber leather,” which supports previous reports that Apple will use more eco-friendly material with less carbon footprint versus cowhide leather. Kosutami also claimed that the cases will be MagSafe and feature rubber-wrapped bezels, albeit the material will be darker than the case’s color. Additionally, the material will reportedly be used on the new Apple Watch band.
Apart from cases, Apple’s sustainability efforts have also expanded in other areas in the past years as the company continues to broaden its repair services to more products and locations. For instance, in June, Apple added its iPhone 14 series, 13-inch MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro powered by M2 to its Self-Service Repair program. It also brought its True Depth camera and top speaker repairs for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups and Mac desktops in the US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK at that time.
These efforts are expected to extend to the materials of its iPhone 15 series, which will reportedly have a redesigned chassis to allow iPhone owners to easily access the insides of their devices by including a removable back glass. Recent leaks also suggest that Apple would integrate the iPhone 15’s SIM card slot into the tail plug cable. This might translate to a replacement cost increase for users, but this could also mean a simpler repair process since it drops the direct logic board connection.
In the future, more efforts like these are expected from Apple, especially now that it is trying to cooperate with legislators pushing such causes. This already started with the EU’s push for USB-C port requirements for tech companies, forcing Apple to halt the Lightning port use in iPhone 15. And recently, despite initially showing resistance, Apple has finally changed its stance to support California Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman’s bill, the Right to Repair Act or “SB 244.” It is unsurprising, nonetheless, as the bill reflects its current Self Service Repair program.
