Updated Aug. 21 with more details about the upcoming TechWoven cases for iPhone 17.
The latest leak says that when the iPhone 17 series is released in September (and you can see exactly when that will be if you read this), one of the key accessories, the protective case, will have a curiously familiar name, but a wholly new design. And a new report from the same source suggests what colors the cases for the iPhone 17 Pro will include.
Cast your mind back to September 2023: Apple discontinued leather cases for the iPhone, for environmental reasons. It introduced something called FineWoven, a high-end alternative to protect your phone. It had a certain charm to it, but it didn’t prove popular and Apple quietly discontinued most FineWoven products within a year.
So, it’s a surprise that, according to a new report from serial leaker Majin Bu, Apple is about to announce new cases with a name that evokes FineWoven.
“Apple is set to revolutionize accessories for iPhone 17 with the new TechWoven cases, an innovative material designed to overcome the shortcomings of the controversial FineWoven. Featuring a refreshed design, enhanced durability, and a sustainable approach, these cases could become the new standard,” the report says.
The report includes photographs of boxes showing the TechWoven case in five colors.
The cases also have MagSafe compatibility, it’s claimed, which is not a surprise, but the second claim is something unprecedented: lanyard holes. Other manufacturers have made it possible to attach lanyards but not Apple. The box, which also mentions that the case has built-in Camera Control, is “compatible with Crossbody Strap.”
Note the capitalization, which suggests that Apple will be making a body-worn lanyard for the case — another first.
“These aren’t actual Apple phone case boxes, Majin Bu says, but references that ‘are almost always 1:1 clones of original models,’ ” 9to5Mac comments.
Which may make those capitals less reliable, but let’s see.
The boxes, real or not, look convincing, showing cases that have wide cut-outs for the new camera panel and —unlike previous reports — doesn’t have an Apple logo in a wildly different place from where it is now.
Now, Majin Bu has released a series of images showing what the new cases will look like in a series of five colors. The leaker doesn’t have official names for the colors, but shows them in an intriguing image.
The report describes the cases. They are said to have a “slightly textured weave that improves grip and reduces signs of wear. It resists glossing and maintains a consistent appearance even after weeks of use,” it says. Hold on. Weeks? I mean, we all have our iPhones for a year and more, so weeks seems pretty paltry, no?
A photograph of the alleged cases shows suitably muted shades. I’d describe them as grey, steel blue, lawn green, mauve and salmon, though Apple will have different, and better, names. A side view shows feistily bright button covers. The cases are clearly not real — they’re weirdly different sizes for a start, but they may give a sense of the style of the cases.
More details as they emerge.
