Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Apple could ditch leather for Apple Watch straps as well as iPhone cases

Apple could be set to ditch its leather strap provision for the Apple Watch range.

Last week we reported on the claims that Apple was planning to do away with leather cases with the forthcoming iPhone 15 line. Now it’s being claimed that it will extend this leather cull to the Apple Watch and its fancy range of cowhide straps.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – ever a reliable source of Apple-based tips – has tweeted that Apple has been offering its expensive Hermes Apple Watch straps to employees at a discounts of up to 90%.

Such a move smacks of inventory clearing, and indeed, Gurman claims that stock for these leather accessories is now running low.

Last week saw leaked images and details emerge concerning a new synthetic leather material that Apple was working on. Apparently, Apple will debut this ‘FineWoven’ material in the forthcoming iPhone 15 case line-up.

100GB of extra data with an iPhone 14 contract

100GB of extra data with an iPhone 14 contract

You can currently get 100GB of extra data on an inclusive iPhone 14 Vodafone contract over on Mobiles.co.uk as part of its Black Friday week deals.

  • Mobiles.co.uk
  • 100GB of extra data
  • Free as part of Vodafone contract
View Deal

All very laudable from an animal welfare point of view, of course. As we noted in our previous piece, however, it remains to be seen if this new woven material is more sustainable in a wider sense. Apple still offers silicone cases and clear plastic cases, of course, which are completely non-biodegradable and harder to recycle.

Apple has been one of the front runners in the push towards more responsible manufacturing and packaging, so we wouldn’t be surprised if a move away from leather is just the beginning of a wider accessory overhaul.

All will presumably be revealed on September 12, when Apple is scheduled to hold an event to launch both the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch 9 lines – presumably absent any hint of leather.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words