Apple may discontinue all silicone accessories, says rumor

Apple might be discontinuing all of its silicone accessories, it appears. A new rumor, reported by MacRumors, says that the company is planning on seizing manufacturing and sales of all of its iconic silicone rubber and fluoroelastomer accessories in an effort to replace them with more eco-friendly versions across the board.

This doesn’t quite come as a surprise, though. There has been a lot of talk about Apple discontinuing its leather cases with the iPhone 15 in favor of more eco-friendly options. Until now, however, it seemed like only the leather cases would be the focus of this change, but it appears Apple’s accessories lineup is set to get a major change across the board.

No more leather and silicone for Apple accessories?

With the reveal of the next best iPhone, the iPhone 15, it appears Apple may also introduce a drastic shift to eco-friendly materials for all of its accessories. A few weeks ago, we heard that the Apple iPhone 15 won’t get Apple’s leather cases, which have been a bit of a staple for the past few years.

Now, according to this new MacRumors report, which cites Apple leaker Kosutami, the change won’t be limited to just the leather cases or the iPhone. Apple is apparently planning an overhaul to its entire accessories lineup, and leather, as well as silicone cases, will be gradually phased out in favor of more eco-friendly materials, starting with the iPhone 15 accessories.

Apple is planning on introducing new accessories with a premium material it will call « FineWoven », which will have a different feel. The report also notes that the shift will be gradual, with some of the existing accessories continuing to be available until stocks run out. An example would be the Apple Watch Series 9 sports band, which will likely be gradually phased out due to its backward compatibility.

There are concerns about the feel, of course. Silicon bands for the Apple Watch, for example, are a popular choice for those who use the watch for activity tracking. It will be interesting to see if the replacements will offer a similar ease of cleaning or whether third-party silicone bands will end up becoming the ideal replacement.