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Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

The Air is such a great phone. If Apple hadn't released the Air and I didn't like it as much as I do I would have already switched back to Samsung. I am so done with the iphone's thick and heavy brick design, I was already in the process of shopping for and deciding between the Samsung S25 and S25 Edge.

If apple's upcoming plan is more brick phones and foldables I'll use the Air until I need a new phone and then switch back to Android then.
 
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Populus said:
Just stop with this experiments and release a god-dammed smaller iPhone and don’t use the mini moniker! And I’m not talking about a 5.4” iPhone, but anything smaller than the current 6.3” would be welcome.
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Very few are clamoring for this. Honestly, I think more people would prefer an Air sized version of the standard Pro. The general public doesn't want small phones. And sales have proven that. Multiple times.
 
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DTphonehome said:
Failure or not, this was an engineering challenge to prepare for the upcoming folding iPhone, which is going to resemble two of these stacked. And perhaps the tech will trickle down to the standard iPhone and ultimately make it thinner with the same battery life it has now.
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That’s the issue. Why pay good money to be Apple’s beta tester for a folding phone. Apple will learn a lot from this Air test but on the consumer side the benefits are questionable beyond a super thin phone.
 
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Populus said:
Just stop with this experiments and release a god-dammed smaller iPhone and don’t use the mini moniker! And I’m not talking about a 5.4” iPhone, but anything smaller than the current 6.3” would be welcome.
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The 16e and upcoming 17e are 6.1". To bad there isn't a 5.8" option though.
 
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jonnyb098 said:
The idiotic “influencers” killed the product before it was given a chance.

They said it would break easily (it’s the most durable iPhone ever). They said the battery life is terrible (it nearly identical to the base 17). They said it’s missing cameras (90% of people take 90% of their shots using the main lens).

And yet Apple caters to these people who chase clicks for a living.
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JPack said:
1. Denial
2. Anger <—
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

You’ll probably notice a lot angry posts about lack of marketing, blaming reviewers, or something else. Anything but the actual product itself.

Most people want at least a couple cameras, the bast battery life they can get, and stereo speakers. The $999 price tag doesn’t help.
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It's pretty funny these two post are back to back.
 
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I held the iPhone Air in stores. It really is an incredibly piece of hardware. Feels more premium than even the Pro phone models. This type of phone you should not even buy a case for as it defeats the whole purpose.

However, I push my iPhones to the limit so the 17PM was the only option. Was not passing on Vapor Chamber cooling, longest battery life ever in an iPhone, or the new 2TB SSD option. Air is really in a very niche spot in the market. They should keep the Air line in my opinion, even if they lower the production output by millions of units.
 
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MacRumors said:


iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iphone-air-thinness.jpg

Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued by the end of 2025.

According to Kuo, the iPhone Air's poor performance suggests that the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models already "cover the majority of high-end user demand," so there is little room for new market segments.

There have been multiple reports suggesting the iPhone Air has failed to catch on with consumers. Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple would reduce iPhone Air production by a million units because of underwhelming sales performance, and earlier today, Nikkei said that there is "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and that Apple would "drastically" cut production.

Apple competitor Samsung is apparently seeing the same response to its super thin smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Reports suggest that Samsung canceled development of a next-generation model after disappointing sales.

Apple's standard iPhone and Pro iPhone models have consistently performed well, but it has struggled with its fourth wildcard spot in the iPhone lineup. Apple experimented with a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone mini that did not sell well, and then moved to a larger iPhone Plus that served as a more affordable version of the large-sized Pro Max. That too failed, leading Apple to try a 5.6mm build that compromised on features for a lightweight and thin design.

We could get yet another new form factor as soon as 2026, with rumors suggesting that Apple will debut a foldable iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 lineup.

Article Link: Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%
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Bring back the plus!!!!!
 
It likely didn't help that they included "hey, we even created a battery pack for it" in the Keynote.

Just let the battery pack be available in the Accessories section.

Glad I got both an Air and an Air battery :D

-
 
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Sneakz said:
The Air needs to become the base model iPhone. Just like the MacBook Air became the base model Mac notebook. It took some time for that to happen, the same will happen on the iPhone.

But if they can add that second camera lens, and bring the price down $100, say goodbye to the base iPhone.
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Bring back the plus!!!!
 
JPack said:
1. Denial
2. Anger <—
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

You’ll probably notice a lot angry posts about lack of marketing, blaming reviewers, or something else. Anything but the actual product itself.

Most people want at least a couple cameras, the bast battery life they can get, and stereo speakers. The $999 price tag doesn’t help.
Click to expand...
Unlike you I actually own and use the Air so let me help you out with your misinformation you are spreading:

The Air has a good camera, a good loud and clear speaker, and really good battery life. Its got the same battery life as the 16 Pro so now the Pro's have bad battery life too? This phone also has a feature that you get with it that the Pro's don't have: its actually nice and comfortable to hold and use (unlike the Pro's). Its a great phone with good hardware and incredible design.
 
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gatorvet96 said:
I LOVE my iPhone Air. I think a lot of early reviews scared people away before they actually got their hands on them. MKBHD said about “red flags”. Turns out battery life is quite good. I have not had mine run out in a single day once. Also the camera is great. I don’t do much wide angle or zoom shots anyway. The single speaker means nothing either as I use Air Pods. It is soooo much more comfortable to hold and carry in my pockets. They should have given reviewers units prior to announcing so they could see the compromises are reasonable for most people.
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Carry a 17 (my wife has one) or a 17 pro (mine) on all day, all week trip, and the battery anxiety compared to the Air is much much less. THere is a marked battery difference from my experience between the Air and standard/pro models when off of a perfect wifi only at home day and actually using apps like maps, camera, etc during travel.

I had the Air for a weekend worth of travel and I had to have a battery pack handy mid day to avoid battery anxiety. Cameras I was less concerned about, but having that second ultrawide would have helped me that weekend also.

I understand, "really good battery life" as some have stated may work for them, but for many traveling outside the wifi blanketed home and using apps in this day and age throughout the day, I feel the Air leaves much to be desired when compared to the other models.
 
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I’ve never been happier with a failed product. I miss the pro camera but that seems like a miss they can iterate on…but probably won’t.
 
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