Mark Gurman Hints At Apple's Leatherless Move For iPhone 15 Case, Watch Bands, But What About Hermes?

Apple Inc. AAPL could abandon leather in favor of eco-friendly materials for its upcoming iPhone 15 lineup cases and Watch bands, sparking questions about the potential ramifications for its coveted partnership with luxury fashion brand Hermes. 

What Happened: In the last week of August, prominent tech leakers who go by the name @MajinBuOfficial and @DuanRui on Twitter, now rebranded as X, shared images sourced from Weibo, purportedly showcasing Apple’s official leather-alternative cases for the iPhone 15. 

On Tuesday, Mark Gurman, a respected tech insider, shared a post by Sonny Dickson, one of the most reliable Apple leakers, fueling speculation by presenting a sample or replica of the purported leather-free iPhone 15 case. 

Gurman hinted that this shift away from leather might also extend to Apple Watch bands. 

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A sample/replica of the new leather-free iPhone 15 case. I am expecting Apple to begin moving away from leather on its Apple Watch bands as well, but unclear how this impacts the Hermes partnership (I would assume it does not). https://t.co/dUA36mX2BL

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 5, 2023

According to Gurman, Apple’s Sept. 12 product launch event will feature environmental sustainability as a theme. The cases shared by tech leakers are reportedly woven from eco-friendly materials and have a significantly smaller carbon footprint than traditional cowhide leather. 

Moreover, Apple last month offered its employees steep discounts of up to 90% on Hermes leather accessories, potentially signaling an inventory clearance, said Gurman, citing sources.  

While this suggests a possible shift in strategy, the implications for the longstanding Apple-Hermes collaboration remain uncertain, although Gurman assumed that it won’t have any impact. 

For instance, an Apple-Hermes band normally $850 is on sale for $85 to Apple employees (probably what it is actually worth). Several other accessories including many Solo Loop bands in outgoing colors and the MagSafe charging dock are also on deep discount to clear stock. https://t.co/VmTElj1FcF

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 5, 2023

Why It’s Important: Last week, Cupertino sent out invitations for its upcoming hardware launch event on Sept. 12, where the iPhone 15 lineup is expected to be unveiled. The invite was shared on X by Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior VP of marketing, with the caption “Wonder awaits” and the hashtag #AppleEvent, bearing the tagline “Wonderlust.”

The event will be streamed on Apple.com and the Apple TV app.

Gurman previously said that iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models could get the biggest updates since the company added 5G capability three years ago.

Image Credits – Shutterstock

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