Apple May Be Planning to Discontinue All of Its Silicone Accessories
Apple may be planning to discontinue its silicone rubber and fluoroelastomer accessories, replacing them with ones made of more eco-friendly next-generation materials, MacRumors has been told.
The move is expected to include accessories such as the iPhone Silicone Case with MagSafe, Sport Band, Solo Loop, and AirTag Loop. The rumor comes from Apple device collector and leaker known as "Kosutami," who has previously shared information about the iPhone 15's braided USB-C cable, various prototypes such as the MagSafe chargers and AirPods in different color options, and more.
Apple is widely expected to discontinue its leather iPhone cases following the introduction of the iPhone 15 lineup, replacing them accessories made with a premium material marketed as "FineWoven." The discontinuation of silicone accessories is not expected to be imminent, instead taking place via a more gradual transition whereby existing models are not refreshed with new color options. For example, Sport Band may not be refreshed with new color options following the launch of the Apple Watch Series 9, being available until supplies of the current units run out. Apple is expected to release new accessory designs, such as a "FineWoven" Apple Watch band with a magnetic buckle, to replace its outgoing products.
The discontinuation of all leather and silicone Apple accessories is believed to be part of a wider move to transition to more environmentally friendly materials. While Apple's silicone rubber accessories have a lower carbon footprint than their leather counterparts, they are not made with any recycled materials. Materials like fluoroelastomer are also difficult to recycle due to their heat-resistant properties and strong, crosslinked structure.
"FineWoven" is expected to be the first next-generation material used by Apple, replacing leather in the immediate term, but it could also displace some silicone accessories at some point. There will likely also be other new, more eco-friendly materials introduced on other accessories in the future.
Popular Stories
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence.
The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles.
iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look.
Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device.
The revised beta addresses an...
