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

[Bodhitree]

Most of us knew this would be a complete flop.

Most people want the best iPhone or the best value iPhone, but the iPhone air is neither.

You’d think they would know from other smartphone producers that these kind of experimental form factors don’t sell in huge numbers. It’s not a surprise to me that it doesn’t sell, what is a surprise is that Apple chooses to enter these kinds of markets.

Back in Steve Jobs’ day he could be relied upon to make these kind of calls, and he knew that you have to start with the user experience. I think it’s clear that most people aren’t attracted to thin-for-the-sake-of-it. The whole idea of the smartphone as kind of cool has long since disappeared since they became commonplace.

 

[Bethanie21]

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.

The Pros are nice to hold though, they feel great in the hand. Unlike you, I actually own and use the Pro.

 

[Dog Bone Malone]

As soon as I saw the magsafe battery release, I thought, uh oh! This phone ain't gonna sell. The magsafe battery was like a 'oh sh*t' after thought from the marketing dept.

 

[Ruggy]

It's really hard to understand why they have invested in a large phone - even if thin- which doesn't do anything particularly well and is expensive.
It seems to me they are missing the small cheap phone which you can safely buy for a teenager with small hands and small pockets.
We used to hand down a small phone and then there was the SE, but no one want's to spend $900 on a phone for a 10 year old that's too big for their hands and which they can't put in their pockets.
Even if it's not a huge seller, in percentage terms its value is enormous as a first phone for small person to get into the Apple universe which will probably keep them there for life.
I have no idea what you people are buying your kids today but none of the recent phones you can hand down are small enough or cheap enough to give to your kids

 

[Corefile]

People want battery life that lasts all day. This isn't it.

 

[Happy_John]

No, that's not a different opinion, those are lies based on a lack of personal experience and ignorance of tests, just to confirm his confirmation bias. According to tests, the Air has a better battery than the 16e. We've known for years that it's not just about the battery, but mainly about the chip. The Air has 3000 nits, yet it lasts longer on battery power. So this is a lie. Similar performance. Again, a lie. The Air is massively faster and also has 12GB of RAM. So no, that's not a different opinion, those are lies.

FFS, You can't go around accusing people of lying just because you don't agree with their opinion. And it is an opinion. The facts the poster posted are correct.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

Please Watch this.

This is dummy test, in real life use this battery do not last long for active use, trust me)

 

[Danie_Morrow]

People want battery life that lasts all day. This isn't it.

Oh come on. Please stop repeating these lies. This has long been disproved. It has the same battery life as the iPhone 16 Pro, and no one had any issues with the battery in the iPhone 16 Pro, so for goodness' sake, stop jumping on these narratives.

 

[Danie_Morrow]

This is dummy test, in real life use this battery do not last long for active use, trust me)

Do you have an iPhone Air or what are you using as a source?

 

[Mr_Ed]

Regular people don’t care about the cameras. Nice try though

What?

Cameras and great photos of their kids is like all normal people care about.

I think both are valid points, with some nuance.

Lots of people use their phone cameras for convenience so logically, “they care”, but the vast majority of people just do quick snapshots with their phones, don’t care enough to look at the specifications and would be equally happy with the camera from an older iPhone. Most are not printing their photos. They are probably posting it online or sharing via text messages so the end result is an audience looking at a scaled down version anyway.

We’ve passed the point where the yearly improvements in mobile phone camera specifications make any meaningful difference to the vast majority of users. Some do care, and some do try to do serious photography with their phone, but in the grand scheme of things with 1.5b (by some estimates) iPhones in use worldwide, most don’t care because they don’t have to.

 

[StuBeck]

Mid range?

Yes.

 

[StuBeck]

How is it mid range? It's missing so many features and it's only benefit is the thinness outside of the massive bump.

The standard 17 is a much better phone and its showing in sales.

The price.

 

[dantay]

I don’t get the rivalry to do with Air or Pro, they both have their own usp’s, I’d probably have both if I didn’t already have a Z Flip as the Air is lovely to hold and the 6.5” screen is the perfect size too.

It’s just a phone people, not a political view or religion (which are also problematic) so if you like your Air great…..it’s a great design…..and if you love your Pro that’s cool…..it’s a chunk but has more features…..I like both for those reasons…….choice is good.

 

[maflynn]

they both have their own usp’s,

Evidently, the Air doesn't have many ups, as people voted with their wallet and chose to not buy it

 

[dantay]

Evidently, the Air doesn't have many ups, as people voted with their wallet and chose to not buy it

I didn’t say there were enough usp’s……just that the Air had them.

 

[maflynn]

I didn’t say there were enough usp’s……just that the Air had them.

It had less of everything except for the price. The iPhone 17 has more features then the air, the only thing the air had, was that it was wicked thin.

 

[cardfan]

Doesn't this seem to be a reoccurring theme? They try a mid-range option that doesn't gain traction. I wonder what next years phone will be.

Never aim for the low tier with the premium bs. Even the name didn’t capture what Apple was going for there. Air means mid to low tier in Apple land.

You talk up performance and cameras with the pros. Then put out an iPhone air with the worst performance of all iPhones and worst camera compromises.

 

[cardfan]

It had less of everything except for the price. The iPhone 17 has more features then the air, the only thing the air had, was that it was wicked thin.

Which means nothing in a case.

 

[maflynn]

Which means nothing in a case.

Or get that battery case because the battery is so poor and now you have a thic boi

 

[ab2c4]

The Pros are nice to hold though, they feel great in the hand. Unlike you, I actually own and use the Pro.

I had a 16 Pro up until a few weeks ago and my wife has the 17 Pro Max so I have plenty of time and use with the Pro's.

 

[raybob]

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

No sane person would use two failed products lol.

Then I guess, by your definition, I’m insane. I’d pay $2K for something like that.

 

[killhippie]

Basically don’t buy a iPhone in 2025 unless its the base model, unless you want the designer distressed look, scratches fading and awful AI camera images, maybe next year but I'm not holding my breath, as they have backed themselves into a corner with the current design, as its already full of components unless we have to carry a belt with the CPU and other components in it next year, that would be true courage.

 

[Danie_Morrow]

FFS, You can't go around accusing people of lying just because you don't agree with their opinion. And it is an opinion. The facts the poster posted are correct.

View attachment 2571646

Man, when you write that the sun sets in the east, that's not a different opinion that should be respected. If someone thinks the Earth is flat, that's not a different opinion, it's a lie. If someone writes that there is a superior battery or similar performance, it's exactly the same thing. You can't hide your uninformed and unverifiable opinions behind your opinion. That's not how the world works

 

[TechZeke]

Carrier deals probably played a part. I was intrigued by the Air, but my carrier was offering $1100 in credits for a Pro Max versus $830 for the Air. So I would be paying more for a compromised phone.

Also, I actually would’ve considered going for the Air anyway if they had an Air Max. I’ve always had the biggest screen iPhone I could get since the 6 Plus days.

 

[cardfan]

Carrier deals probably played a part. I was intrigued by the Air, but my carrier was offering $1100 in credits for a Pro Max versus $830 for the Air. So I would be paying more for a compromised phone.

Also, I actually would’ve considered going for the Air anyway if they had an Air Max. I’ve always had the biggest screen iPhone I could get since the 6 Plus days.

Well I mean see our new thin phone. Then immediately switch to talking the redesigned pro with orange. Power. Vapor chamber. 3 cameras. Etc. So pro lol.

Perhaps a better time to release it would’ve been spring along with a mini version. If it was viable at all.