Eight years ago, Apple collaborated with French designer company Hermès to introduce the Apple Watch Hermès, which features a stainless steel case for the Watch and a handmade leather band that’s designed by Hermès. Apple has offered its own leather bands for its Watch models as well as leather phone cases for its iPhones. However, it looks like we might be seeing the end of the leather accessories from Apple according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
We also have even more evidence to back this claim up. If you search for “Apple Watch Hermès” on Hermès’ website, you’ll not see any references or listings of any Apple Watch Hermès models or bands. On the other hand, you can still buy Apple Watch Hermès from Apple’s website as very few models are still in stock. With several models out of stock, it looks like Apple is trying to get rid of its supply very quickly by giving its employees up to 90% off the remaining Hermès models.
With the possible end of Apple’s leather options, we could see the same feature for its silicone iPhone cases and Watch bands as well, and Apple is going to replace both of those materials with a more carbon-neutral and eco-friendly material called “FineWoven.”
Apple has a long relationship with Hermès as they’ve offered several leather and woven nylon bands for the Apple Watch as well as leather key rings for the AirTag. Hermès also designed a leather case for the AirPods Pro (2nd gen.). Even if Apple does move away from its leather options, Hermès’ plan to continue offering woven nylon bands remains unclear. We’ll just have to wait and see for tomorrow’s event at 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT.
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