📱iPhone 15 Pre-Orders, FineWoven, and RIP MagSafe

It feels like a year since the Wonderlust Apple event, but in fact only three days have passed and pre-orders are open for the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro lineup! If you missed the event, you can watch my recap video - everything Apple announced in 13 minutes:

Click the image above or this text to watch

Despite tepid reactions to the new iPhone 15 lineup, it seems people flooded to pre-order their iPhones today hoping for a September 22 delivery. Many of the Pro models, especially iPhone 15 Pro Max with its new 5x optical zoom lens, are now delayed into November!

I opted for the iPhone 15 Pro Max in Blue Titanium, and after 20 minutes of trying to refresh the Apple Store app, I moved to my Mac Studio and was able to place the order on Apple’s website. Apparently, the new Natural Titanium finish is far and away the most popular (currently shipping in November if you order today).

While opting for blue may have helped me get a launch-day delivery, many on social media pointed out the finish seems to be very prone to fingerprints and smudges along the edges. I typically keep mine in a case, so it shouldn’t be a problem. But speaking of FineWoven cases…

Blue Titanium Finish

All the images and videos from Apple’s hands-on area after the event show how smudgy the blue can be…

FineWoven Cases

During the event, Apple announced it would never make any leather products again. Despite a questionable environmental video, Apple puts significant effort toward sustainability and renewable energy. To that end, leather accessories are a casualty.

Apple could have gone with vegan or other leather alternatives but instead decided to create a new line of FineWoven cases. Yes, it’s one word, and I still think it looks funny.

FineWoven was touted as the premium material over Apple’s silicone iPhone cases to replace all leather accessories, including iPhone cases, MagSafe Wallets, and Apple Watch bands. Typically, I would order one silicone and one leather case each year with a new iPhone for various purposes. Beach day: Silicone. Date night: Leather.

Each year iPhone cases typically go on sale before the actual phones, so I received one of these FineWoven cases earlier this week. You can see it on video and hear my initial impressions here:

Click here or the image above to watch

I’ll reserve final judgment for when I have the iPhone 15 Pro Max inside, but my initial feeling is…meh. The sides of the case feel somewhat plasticky and cheap. The buttons are still metal so those are fine.

But the material on the back feels like an in-between of felt and suede. But not a luxurious suede. I posted some macro photos of the case, and it seems a majority of people (including those who also received a case already), are not in favor of the material:

FineWoven iPhone 15 Pro Max case in Taupe

I received a Cyprus Green silicone case as well and will likely use that long-term. But I’ll give FineWoven a FairShake next week.

R.I.P. MagSafe Duo and Battery

During the Wonderlust event I was eagerly awaiting for Apple to announce updated versions of its MagSafe Duo charger and MagSafe Battery that included USB-C. There was no mention in the keynote, so once the event concluded I quickly went to Apple’s website to see if they quietly updated them there.

To my dismay, rather than update or just leave them be, Apple discontinued both products and scrubbed any trace from their store!

While they may not have been popular devices, I found the MagSafe Duo to be the most compact, 2-device charger on the market. And the MagSafe Battery Pack was the only wireless battery that didn’t overheat minutes after adhering to the back of my iPhone.

Almost a year ago I compared four of the best MagSafe battery packs at the time, and it’s still my most-viewed video to date. Frankly, I still stand by my review stating Apple’s battery was the best of the bunch.

It was the thinnest, lightest battery, integrated tightly with iOS, showed up in the battery widgets, and was the only battery to not overheat.

As I explain in my video, the introduction of Qi2 wireless charging, which comes on all iPhone 15 models, may obfuscate the need for Apple to create first-party charging accessories, but I’m holding out hope we may see the battery back quietly re-enter the store in the coming months with a USB-C port. You can learn more about Qi2 and my retrospective on these two devices right here:

Click here to watch or the image above

iOS 17 Coming Monday, Sept 18

While you may need to wait a few weeks for a new iPhone 15 Pro, the latest software updates and features will be coming Monday, September 18 with the launch of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17! Each of those links leads to my video highlighting the top features, by the way.

macOS Sonoma with desktop widgets and updated features for Continuity Camera will be coming on September 26.

While Apple highlights the main features on its website and at WWDC, there are also many small features, or sometimes big but unmentioned features that come with new updates. This year, Apple published an 18-page PDF with every small change across iOS 17. You can download and read the PDF here, or listen to the latest episode of the AppleInsider podcast where I highlight the most surprising new features I haven’t heard yet!

Final Thoughts

I’ve gotten the new iPhone on launch day since the iPhone 4 (well except for the 13 Pro caused I missed the UPS truck, but I don’t want to talk about it). And even though it’s been over a decade, I still get excited for these things.

I also ordered an Apple Watch Ultra 2 considering the decent trade-in value for my Ultra 1. That also arrives next Friday, September 22.

I’m going to resist the urge to try and post a “review” of these devices in the days after receiving them. Honestly, it’s not a full review if you only have it for 24-48 hours. Instead, I’m going to aim to be one of the best reviewers, not the first. Not saying i’m there yet! But I think long-term that builds more trust and value form my YouTube channel.

That being said, I plan to do a LIVE stream on the channel to unbox both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Apple Watch Ultra 2! So subscribe to the channel here, and follow me on whichever social network you prefer (@stephenrobles everywhere), for a link when that’s scheduled! Thank you for watching, listening, and reading my content, and I look forward to hearing what you pre-ordered or will be getting on launch day!