I think folding is going to be the future and Apple has a way of taking products that are already out and revolutionizing it. The smart phone was around well before Apple. Same goes for tablets. It took Apple to get it right and create the world we have now with smart phones and iPads. I can see a world where the average person does not even have a laptop anymore. They have a smart phone and maybe some compact bluetooth keyboard with track pad. A full OS that works when you unfold your iPhone and connect to a keyboard to give you a super compact mobile computer. For those who just need to use a browser, email, and stream movies that iPhone is more then powerful enough and has been for a long time. 3 devices down to one, laptop, tablet and smart phone.
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Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%
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I think folding is going to be the future and Apple has a way of taking products that are already out and revolutionizing it. The smart phone was around well before Apple. Same goes for tablets. It took Apple to get it right and create the world we have now with smart phones and iPads. I can see a world where the average person does not even have a laptop anymore. They have a smart phone and maybe some compact bluetooth keyboard with track pad. A full OS that works when you unfold your iPhone and connect to a keyboard to give you a super compact mobile computer. For those who just need to use a browser, email, and stream movies that iPhone is more then powerful enough and has been for a long time. 3 devices down to one, laptop, tablet and smart phone.
Predicated solely on the devices I own, and the personal experience I have with them, it’s interesting how different and sometimes similar they are.
It’s why I maintain several lines to use these phones concurrently under a variety of environments. For me it’s about having choices and enjoying a variety of devices.
Current phones:
1. iPhone 16e
2. iPhone Air
3. S25 Edge
4. iPhone 17
5. iPhone 17 Pro
6. iPhone 16 Pro Max
The two biggest surprises are how good the 16e is, given I had low expectations but wanted an occasional use compact phone, purchased prior to the 17 series release.
The other surprise was how disappointing the iPhone Air is.
Having owned most every iPhone since the original, this Air falls below Apple standards I've experienced. As a long time Apple enthusiast, user and shareholder, I expected better.
But then again it’s why I procure the various models of interest to me. Overall I remain a satisfied Apple customer.
But many people also use the iPhone Air connected to a local WiFi network, too. Many users, especially overseas, connect to public WiFi, where speeds are surprisingly good (I was in Taipei last year and got very good speeds at that city's public WiFi hotspots with my iPhone 16 Plus). I still say the iPhone Air will be lot more desirable with a 3,900 to 4,000 mAh internal battery.
If you’re going to claim in a headline that a product “failed” maybe you should do your own reporting to confirm this instead of accepting everything you’re told by these investment firms. As an aside if you’re buying a new phone and don’t buy the Air simply because of the missing wide-angle camera then I don’t know what to tell you. Everyone complains about the products never changing and then when they get what they wished for they're still unhappy.
Not going to happen. Reason: the aging Baby Boomer generation and now Generation X wants phones with easier readability, and that means at minimum the screen size has to be 6.1" (e.g., iPhone 16e size).
In fact, many have said that the iPhone 18 regular model will borrow a lot of what was learned from the iPhone Air, but will have a bigger camera bump to accommodate most of the phone electronics. The back will look like an iPhone 17 Pro but minus the telephoto sensor, and will be slight "thicker" than the iPhone to accommodate better quality speakers on the phone itself.
Do people think regular people aren’t even noticing the Air in stores?
Folks… “regular people” are choosing other options right next to the Air.
This is not a marketing issue.
It’s a value and pricing issue.
Price the Air on par with the 17 and I’ll bet it does quite well.
It’s stuck in no man’s land where it’s priced.
First gen iPad sold pretty great. Version 2 came out slimmer and sold like CRAZY. First gen Apple Watch was lackluster. 2nd gen they nailed it and it's been the best selling watch ever since. The iPhone Air has been out a month. Time will tell how long it lives.
I find this weirdly fascinating, mostly because it is totally contrary to how I live. Not only do I not want to use disposable income on variants of basically the same product (or 80% of it), I definitely don't want to use much mental overhead deciding which one(s) to deploy, when to carry them, what accessories to include, etc. To me that's an enormous waste of effort. But to each his/her own.
TBF, I have a decent collection of older Macs. I only have a single main machine to use, while the others are in storage.
If you remove the Air, you have left:
16e - $599
17 - $799
17 Pro - $1099
17 Pro Max - $1199
That's a gaping hole between the 17 and the 17 Pro. Apple has to fill it with something besides bumping up storage, so they chose the Air for it. At the same time they pushed the Pro/Max phones hard over the Air while raising the price. $999 isn't no-man's land. It's the standard-bearer price going back to the iPhone X. What Apple failed to do is come up with literally any messaging around the Air, so normies had no idea what they were looking at other than "it's pretty."
I respect your views.
Conversely I will admit that my passion for technology, willingness to embrace change and ownership of a plethora of computers, tablets, phones and accessories does involve a robust commitment of time.
Living and working in a cross platform environment adds to the complexity but also causes me to fully appreciate the beauty, brilliant design and functionality of my primary computer, a fully optimized 16" M4 Max MacBook Pro.
Similar to my iPhone history, I discovered early on the benefits and satisfaction of owning a PowerBook, which became a MacBook Pro in the ensuing years. My windows laptops pale in comparison.
I celebrate the maturity and efficiency of the Apple ecosystem.
I do not have it, but my friend does. Feedback is mostly okay, but the AIR doesn’t last for a full day, unfortunately, if used intensely. However, I also have some real-world tests for you related to travel use.
Larger screen does not necessarily mean more readable, it usually means more content is visible. Besides, iOS already has settings for text size/readability. If there is a smaller phone next time I’m in the market, I’ll probably go for that.
I've had the 17 Pro Max since launch day. Today I finally had some time to go to an Apple Store to see the Air in person. It's certainly a nice design, however it almost felt too thin to me. I can see the appeal of it but for now, its just not for me.
To me they seem to be using the Air to see what's possible with a thin phone and then they'll just put 2x of them together to make a fold.
How are you so sure the majority of iPhone buyers seek out & actually listen to influencers?
$999 vs. $799 for two options that will "work the same" for the vast majority of users is probably what's tanking the Air.
$800 is painful enough but I think $1000 for a phone that most know will need to be replaced in a few years is a huge pill to swallow for the average (re: majority) user.
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I'm eating crow on this one.
I for sure thought that sexy beast would sell like crazy.
But I should have known the value bit isn't there, especially in this day and age of tightening wallets and loosening guardrails.
I for sure thought that sexy beast would sell like crazy.
But I should have known the value bit isn't there, especially in this day and age of tightening wallets and loosening guardrails.
But still, nobody wants a smaller phone. The only thing that MIGHT change that is possible application of new battery chemistry over the next 3-4 years like solid state batteries, which may allow an iPhone 13 mini-sized phone to have over 4,000 mAh internal batteries.
Correct. And on the foldable phone, such a phone could have possibly over 6,000 mAh of internal batteries.
Many aren’t hating the phone itself. It’s the price that doesn’t sit well. Apple are taking advantage of people…this is also an issue with many.
If you don’t care what you paid for it & love it, that’s fantastic. Enjoy.
Relax, Apple made a phone-specific MagSafe battery pack for the Air. They can do the same for a mini Pro.