Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How many times a year do you connect your iPhone to a cable? I haven't done it once in the last five years since Magsafe came out. How often do you play something on your stereo? I never do. Answer honestly.

I do it in hotel rooms to play on the TV screen so I would really really miss the video out that isn’t there on the air
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44
It’s the best form factor they’ve made. Now give it pro features and I’ll pay more than pro max price. I'm not too keen on a 2k folding phone but maybe I'll change my mind.
 
Well, now we know the reason they called it the “iPhone Air” and not the “iPhone 17 Air”… because they figured there would always be a chance they wouldn’t make another. I bet they continue selling it for at least 12 maybe 24 months, but they will never update it. The iPhone “Fold” will take the 4th slot next year.
 
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.

The compromises aren’t reasonable because here is the secret… the vast majority of people don’t care enough about having a thinner phone to accept ANY compromises.
 
Absolutely crazy given that it’s easily the most beautiful iPhone Apple has ever made. I suppose the overhyped reviewers and influencers had a role to play in driving folk away from it, but Apple could have marketed it better as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funcolors
You can take excellent pictures with the iPhone Air matey
Can you? In low light or with fast moving action? No macros either.

I have tons of fuzzy pictures of my first son because my iPhone camera at the time kept focusing on the background, a common issue at the time.

I would never compromise on cameras if I had a choice, and that includes the advanced sensors that prevent bad focus. The Air, marketed more as a fashion accessory for women as anything, missed the mark because either you are young and want good night pictures or older and want good pictures of kids or family and the layman PERCEPTION is that the Air camera is worse than the 17 because it has one lens, and the REALITY is that it is worse than the 17 for many more reasons than just one lens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44
Absolutely crazy given that it’s easily the most beautiful iPhone Apple has ever made. I suppose the overhyped reviewers and influencers had a role to play in driving folk away from it, but Apple could have marketed it better as well.
I just feel it should have had a 2nd camera of some type at least for the price it is demanding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbineseaplane
It’s been a month and we’re calling it a failure already? I don’t see it as a bad thing when Apple tries something new out, whether it’s a blockbuster or just solid seller, I bet more Airs are being sold than the equivalent Android thin models.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funcolors


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%
Another dud from Apple

Hopefully we won’t see anything else in the future
 
Realistically if they shipped 100 to China and sold all 100 they could call that "sold out". It depends on how many they shipped to China vs the US.

Inventory had been building up since summer, but last minute regulatory requirements required firmware updates. Apple's not going to unbox all those and had to build new inventory.

Regardless, the actual on the ground demand is very weak for Air.

 
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.
I don’t have the Air. But I created a battery life screenshots thread.

The Air is good with light use, but cellular use suffers far more when compared to the regular iPhones (and especially vs the Plus and Pro Max) with heavier cellular drops.

Users today are far heavier. Social media on mobile data with outdoor brightness, etc. That usage impacts the Air significantly more than other iPhones in the real world.

Many people wouldn’t be happy with that.
Hardware absences notwithstanding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kitt9000
Means nothing to the regular consumer. The fact is that the iPhone Air takes amazing photos. Do the Pro’s take better?! Slightly, not enough for the regular Joe to notice or care about.
So, you are saying that the regular consumer is not swayed by cameras and that’s why the manufacturers focus so heavily on the cameras in their marketing and their design?

It seems to be your argument. It makes no sense to me because it is obviously very important to most people which is why manufacturers keep improving the cameras, marketing them, advertising them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44
I do it in hotel rooms to play on the TV screen so I would really really miss the video out that isn’t there on the air

I do it in hotel rooms to play on the TV screen so I would really really miss the video out that isn’t there on the air
Okay, but that's a very niche requirement. In the age of AirPlay, iPad, and MacBook, connecting an iPhone to a TV is really niche, but I get it and understand 100%. But even so, I'm convinced that 9 out of 10 iPhone users don't care about the transfer speed of a USB cable or a mono speaker. Sure, I'd believe the camera, people think that the more cameras they have, the better photographers they'll be, but let's be honest, that won't affect sales. Apple products work on advertising. For example, in the Czech Republic, everyone loves the Pro, but even the basic version doesn't sell well in the long run. There are ads for the Pro everywhere, the orange iPhone Pro is everywhere, and the orange iPhone is simply iconic for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funcolors
Can you? In low light or with fast moving action? No macros either.

I have tons of fuzzy pictures of my first son because my iPhone camera at the time kept focusing on the background, a common issue at the time.

I would never compromise on cameras if I had a choice, and that includes the advanced sensors that prevent bad focus. The Air, marketed more as a fashion accessory for women as anything, missed the mark because either you are young and want good night pictures or older and want good pictures of kids or family and the layman PERCEPTION is that the Air camera is worse than the 17 because it has one lens, and the REALITY is that it is worse than the 17 for many more reasons than just one lens.
Even the main camera of the iPhone Air uses a smaller sensor than that of the main camera in the 17 Pro (and I think the 17) resulting in less lower light performance. The smaller sensor in the Air does allow it to focus slightly closer than the main camera in the 17 Pro however… of course the 17 Pro uses the 0.5 lens the Air doesn’t have to do macro photography the Air can’t do at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44
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.
Very few people want a small phone. The fact that you think not advertising it as a small phone is the solution ti getting people to buy a small phone says it all
 
  • Like
Reactions: robzombie362
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.