Dubious Leak Points to Magnetic Crossbody Strap for iPhone 17
Majin Bu
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Last week, a series of leaked images purported to be of new Apple “TechWoven” cases included an interesting reference to a “Crossbody Strap” that could provide a new way to tote your iPhone 17 around. Now, the same leaker who shared the original photos is back with more information on the strap in question.
The plethora of recent case images has come from Majin Bu, a supply chain leaker with a mixed track record, but who appears to have some good connections that are at least adjacent to the manufacturing partners making Apple’s latest cases.
To be clear, Majin Bu freely acknowledges that most of the photos they’ve been sharing thus far don’t show actual Apple products, but rather third-party knockoffs that were cloned from Apple’s original accessories, right down to the packaging. Majin Bu claims that these are nearly exact replicas, but there’s still plenty of room for skepticism around that.
Still, the boxes look realistic enough that it might be more appropriate to describe these as counterfeit Apple products. After all, these aren’t just lookalikes being sold by another brand; the boxes that Majin Bu shares in their photos are Apple packaging, right down to the company’s name and address on the back.
This lends credence to the “clone” theory — that the copycats aren’t just mimicking Apple packaging, but that they’ve somehow gotten their hands on the original boxes — or enough information about them — to produce highly accurate replicas. Hence, when the cloned packaging lists a “Crossbody Strap,” it’s more likely that it came from the original packaging than that it was added somewhere along the way.
That reference sparked considerable speculation. Combined with lanyard holes seen on these supposed new “TechWoven” cases and Majin Bu’s earlier photos of a “Liquid Silicone Case,” this led to the assumption that Apple has something else in the works to attach to those holes.
Now, Majin Bu has shared more information on this mysterious Crossbody Strap, with details that seemingly confirm it’s a first-party accessory that Apple plans to sell separately from its new cases, and it may have a unique twist.
Majin Bu shared photos of the strap, while being careful to point out that these are also of clones, and not the actual Apple product. However, assuming these are true-to-life copies, they reveal that Apple plans to incorporate a new magnetic system for attaching to an iPhone case:
The Crossbody Strap features an innovative magnetic system, crafted to integrate seamlessly with iPhone 17 cases. I collaborated with a designer, to whom I provided the information, and theories suggest the strap has a flexible metal core that makes it fully magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the system with enhanced strength, ensuring a robust hold. This mechanism allows for intuitive attachment and detachment, eliminating the need for traditional hooks or loops, and is perfect for those seeking practicality with iPhone 17 cases.
Majin Bu
However, there’s a lot of stuff here that doesn’t quite make sense. As shown, the Crossbody Strap is too thick to pass through the lanyard holes shown in the leaked photos of these new iPhone cases. In fact, this would probably be true of any iPhone case. There may be a piece missing, but it seems rather inelegant and un-Apple-like to use a secondary loop in a lanyard hold to attach the crossbody strap.
Majin Bu doesn’t explain precisely how this would work, other than that it somehow integrates seamlessly with the new iPhone 17 cases. Yet, none of the cases we’ve seen in these leaks show where this integration would be. They also suggest it could be compatible with Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3, which implies that it might rely on magnetic attachment points on the strap itself, allowing users to attach their iPhone 17 and AirPods Pro 3 anywhere along the length of the strap. That sounds like an interesting idea in theory, but it could also be an accident waiting to happen.
While the idea that Apple is developing a solution like this sounds plausible, this report raises more questions than answers. Either Majin Bu isn’t explaining it clearly enough, or they’re still missing one or two pieces of the puzzle. It’s also worth mentioning that this entire series of leaks has come from a single source that has yet to be corroborated by any other leakers or analysts.
There may be a core of truth to the “TechWoven” idea, but since Majin Bu is dealing with copies, not originals, in a market rife with knockoff iPhone accessories, it’s best to take this whole thing with a very healthy dose of skepticism. Either way, we won’t have to wait long before we find out for sure, as if Apple does have new iPhone cases in the works, it’s all but certain to unveil them during its “Awe Dropping” event on September 9.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
