Design trends come and go but faux stitched leather is eternal. Witness: just as Apple has bid a not-so-fond farewell to the rich textures of Calendar and Find my Friends, Samsung has embraced new Corinthian comforts for the Galaxy Note 3. The former, software wiped clean in the name of digital authenticity trends towards the future, the latter, hardware meant to evoke the premium feel-ish-ness of BlackBerry Bolds and supply store notebooks past. Does one still work where the other has faltered? Should both be buried, the earth above them salted? Should both still be rocked, shame never being a good thing to have?
Design trends come and go but faux stitched leather is eternal. For Apple, ditching it was a change. For Samsung, hauling it out was something new. Different companies, different times, different implementations. Nary an electronic nor plastic cow harmed in the making of either interface or device. But what about your eyes, your sensibilities, and your tastes? Is there a place you’d still love to see richly textured design, and if so, is it on the screen, on the back plate, or simply on the run from the fashion police?