Unexpected design change disclosed in new report

Updated September 5 with more changes to iPhone 16 cases, including the FineWoven debate.

The iPhone 16 series has a lot of changes in store, like different displays on some models, a wider implementation of the exceptional tetraprism camera, a new thermal design to prevent overheating, improved battery life, and an improved main camera sensor. But the new capture button for taking photos or shooting videos could mean there’s a surprise new case for it. And the report also lets slip that it looks like the new button is coming to all new iPhones. The new report comes with images of iPhone 16 cases, showing where the new button will be located. But it also raises a question: what will happen to FineWoven?

This is a material, you’ll recall, that Apple introduced last year to replace its premium leather products like leather iPhone cases or Apple Watch bands.

ForbesiPhone 16 release date: What to expect, when and whereBy David Phelan

It was developed to provide a premium finish that didn’t harm the environment like leather production does. But the problem was that FineWoven proved unpopular. Many found it lacked longevity and began to look unprecented quite quickly.

As Tim Hardwick reports on MacRumors, while the material is more environmentally friendly, “it hasn’t been well-received by customers, and dwindling inventory ahead of Apple’s iPhone 16 event on September 9 has many wondering if Apple is about to retire FineWoven for good.”

With iPhone case inventory at “record lows,” as the report puts it, this could indicate that Apple is getting rid of FineWoven. Or will it come in a range of different colors? The keynote will tell.

Back to the capture button… the thing about the capture button is that it would be capacitive, allowing you to half-press to focus before pressing properly to take a photo. Swiping right and left is thought to zoom in and out.

A capacitive button means that, like the iPhone’s touchscreen, it works using a weak electric field that reacts when another electric field (specifically, your finger) interrupts it. This is why you can’t use capacitive screens underwater, for example.

So it was assumed that phone cases would be designed with holes to allow easy access to the capture button.

But it looks like Apple’s silicone iPhone cases won’t have a gap but rather a piece of material over where the button is, according to a leak from @DuanRui.

The article shows images of what are supposed to be third-party iPhone 16 cases, with a gap exactly where the capture button is supposed to be. And I can confirm that the (many) iPhone 16 cases I’ve been tasked with evaluating all have this gap.

But the post says, in a Google translation from Chinese, “It is said that the official protective case of Apple’s iPhone 16 series will not have this opening and will be changed to an integrated design, which will not affect the normal use of this capacitive button.”

Well, covering the button makes sense: you don’t want to keep accidentally triggering the shutter with your finger, right?

But the material in question remains a mystery. The fact is that you can adjust the distance at which the capacitive buttons can detect an interaction. I remember seeing a Microsoft keyboard that was really raised so that when you went to touch it, the backlight would turn on from 30 cm away. The same principle means that many phones let you interact with the screen while wearing gloves.

Maybe this button can be controlled through a physical barrier, similar to how gloves are. Or maybe it’s a custom material, like Apple could license!

As mentioned above, the main takeaway from all of this is that according to third-party reports, the capture button will be available on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, not just the Pro versions, which some people, like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, weren’t sure about.

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