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Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

CarlJ said:
Three of the people closest to me love their iPhone minis (two 12's and a 13), have plenty of money to upgrade, but simply don't want a larger iPhone. You're essentially telling people, "you should settle for mediocrity instead of longing for something better". Let them want what they want.
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No... They're simply saying dream on because it's never coming back, because it's not.

Good for your friends! When their phone die they'll have no problem getting new larger ones. No need to completely twist someone's very simple, factual statement into a drama queen's rendition of I don't even know what that was.

The mini was a dud. They literally gave them away through carriers because they had so much excess inventory and through fire sales. It's not coming back.
 
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MacAddict1978 said:
There is such a thing as too thin for a phone you stick in your pocket and half sit on from time to time. I doubt its going to be made from titanium.
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Mill the phone out of (into the front of) a single solid block of tungsten, for the sides and back, so it can be thin and unbendable. Though I don't suppose there'll be much room left for battery.

Anything under 1/4" thick is just asking for structural problems, and doesn't directly add any benefit (nobody is saying, "I can't hold my phone / fit my phone into my pocket because it's too thick") - it's the wrong dimension to optimize for - make it narrower, sure, but not thinner.
 
CarlJ said:
Mill the phone out of (into the front of) a single solid block of tungsten, for the sides and back, so it can be thin and unbendable. Though I don't suppose there'll be much room left for battery.

Anything under 1/4" thick is just asking for structural problems, and doesn't directly add any benefit (nobody is saying, "I can't hold my phone / fit my phone into my pocket because it's too thick") - it's the wrong dimension to optimize for - make it narrower, sure, but not thinner.
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I am as I like the width. The thickness makes it a chore quickly getting my cased iPhone into/out-of my shirt pocket one-handed when I want to make photos. I'll certainly consider a new thinner iPhone should Apple release one.
 
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citysnaps said:
I certainly am. No doubt many others as well.

Reminds me of 2007 2001 when Jobs introduced iPod. And the response was: Who asked for a thousand songs in your pocket?
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Why do you want it? Is there a tangible benefit to it?
 
trifid said:
I'm not a fan of the sharp square/brick design, I can't wait for that trend to die and for the teardrop design to make a comeback, it's so much nicer ergonomically both in use and pocket:


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I don’t understand how iPhones got so boring when the lead up has been some pretty remarkably distinct design. All the clamoring to bring back the iPhone 4’s slab really sucked the oxygen out of Apple’s design department. Now all phones are like it. It really worked best then, when the iPhone felt more like its own singularly defined object due to the form factor and flush camera module. The 6 series did a great job succeeding it. My 6S Plus was a fantastic phone.

Now we just have these heavy bricks with protruding sensors and a yearly spectacle around the swapping of materials and finishes. I have to imagine the industrial designers at Apple are excited to try some different designs at this point. I’m glad they at least rounded the edges a tad.
 
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jingbugle said:
Apple is all about form over function.
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Regrettably, this is true sometimes. They do make beautiful devices, however I wish their obsession with appearance didn't come at the sacrifice of function. Ultimately the market will decide, such as with the TouchBar and larger screen phones for example.
 
transpo1 said:
Apple obviously doesn’t believe people want devices with smaller displays, hence the reason the Mini was cancelled. I believe we as a society could use devices with smaller screens but their market research doesn’t seem to support this.
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Yup. Apple is relying on their actual sales figures for the minis to tell them the display sizes that more people want.

Apple's sales figures show that the iPhone mini comprised only a relatively small percent of iPhone sales. The first mini, the 12, in Nov 2020, initially accounted for about 6% of iPhone sales, which at first seemed promising, but a year later it accounted for 5% of sales, and by the third quarter of 2022, the iPhone 13 mini accounted for only about 3% of sales.

But it has yet to be seen whether an iPhone Air, with some significantly reduced specs, will interest a significantly larger number of buyers than did the minis. But Android isn’t much of an option for smaller phones either, since currently one of the only Android phones smaller than the mini is Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5, which when folded is about 3.35 inches tall and 2.83 inches wide, compared to the mini's 5.18 inches by 2.53 inches. It seems there are currently no non-folding Androids whose housing size is comparable to the mini.

What confuses me is that the iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation models have a display that’s 4.7 inches diagonal, which is significantly smaller than the minis with their 5.4 inch displays, so why do many people want the return of the mini, when it seems they should be asking for the SE 4 to retain the screen size of the previous SE models, instead of going to 6.1 inches as has been rumored?
 
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I think they'll move to solid state electrolyte, which will give a massive boost in battery capacity, in turn justifying the price increase
 
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johnsawyercjs said:
Yup. Apple is relying on their actual sales figures for the minis to tell them the display sizes that more people want.

Apple's sales figures show that the iPhone mini comprised only a relatively small percent of iPhone sales. The first mini, the 12, initially accounted for about 6% of iPhone sales, which at first seemed promising, but a year later it accounted for 5% of sales, and by the third quarter of 2022, the iPhone 13 mini accounted for only about 3% of sales.

But it has yet to be seen whether an iPhone Air, with some significantly reduced specs, will interest a significantly larger number of buyers than did the minis. But Android isn’t an option for smaller phones, since there are no longer any new Android models (that I know of) that have displays as small as the iPhone mini--currently the minimum display size in Android phones is about six inches, similar to the current standard and Pro (non-Max) iPhones.

What confuses me is that the iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation models have a display that’s 4.7 inches diagonal, which is significantly smaller than the minis with their 5.4 inch displays, so why do many people want the return of the mini, when it seems they should be asking for the SE 4 to retain the screen size of the previous SE models, instead of going to 6.1 inches as has been rumored?
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People like the mini not because of the screen size, but because of its actual physical size. The current SE is already 7mm taller and 3mm wider than the 13 mini. I find it hard to believe that your question above was a serious one: the people looking for smaller phones don't actively want screens they have to squint at, they want phones they can put in a jacket pocket/hold in one hand etc.
 
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red elma said:
Why the obsession for thinner?
How about getting rid of the ugly camera bump on all the phones and make them a few millimeters thicker.
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That would be worth answering from the editorial team. But I'll anticipate the explanation:
Main thing is NEW!

Change something. Yankees (that includes MacRumors) love obvious changes. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or makes the product more difficult to use.
No American buys a product just because it's better. Better is not enough. It must be possible to show the change, so that strangers can be shown off.

We need the most superlative superlatives.
 
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jingbugle said:
Apple is all about form over function.
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When it comes a portable device like a phone, sometimes its form is its function.

For example, a thinner device is also one which is lighter and easier to hold in the hand (less bulky). Not to mention that most people use a case with their phone, so a case in top of an already bulky device just makes it even more unwieldy.
 
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It's kinda a pity that you can't sell devices made for people to use, but rather have to sell devices made for people to look at.

I mean I kinda get it: The iPhone 12 was that last real design change. The 13 screwed around with the cameras. The 14 didn't change anything, but you could now get the Plus model "again" .... that as far as I know sold about as bad as the mini did. The 15 made the notch somewhat more bearable. The 16 again screwed with the cameras. Show either of those models to a normal kid and let them tell them apart. No dice.

And that's kinda the issue: why would I go and spend 800 bucks for a new phone if nobody even notices. Heck I prolly wouldn't notice despite being a tech minded person. And spoiler alert: most people aren't. So after 5 years of selling the same device with minor improvements Apple is floundering in the markets. So the next big thing must get here, and get here fast. Apple Intelligence isn't it. (edit: Apple Facehugger Pro also isn't it.) And since more and more megapixels simply don't sell anymore, screens have gotten kinda as good as they'll get, batteries are already "good" enough .... it's gotta be chique. And thin is chique. It's sleek, it's an eye catcher and it at least "looks" expensive. Bent or not doesn't really matter as long as Apple can claim "You're sitting on it wrong" - and making you buy another one.

They also can't be smaller, because they need to be front and center. Not only for people to show off their new toy which signals status among young folks as much as an expensive car does among "grown ups". But also for Apple, since people need to see those devices everywhere, notice them in every hand - since to be struck by envy enough so they go (or pester their parents enough about it so they go) and put down what for many amounts to a weekly paycheck or more ... they have to notice the thing in other people's hands.

This thing really is the next big thing. And it'll work. And it emphasizes yet again that at least Apple's iPhone business is mainly a boutique business. Other poeple can have their iPhone Pro. Or their iPhone SE.

Or they go and buy a basically new iPhone SE 2016 to use as an actual phone on the go. Like I did yesterday. Maybe I'll upgrade to a 13 mini in 2027. Gotta stretch those hands a bit before that, tho.
 
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If the battery life disappoints, people will trash talk this product and negate its value prop of thinness (which is all about aesthetics anyway).
 
ZeroInspo said:
I really don’t see how this is a positive. On the iPad it makes sense, because it reduced weight a ton but on iPhones I find that a heavier weight makes them feel much better and premium on the hands. Which is why I hate the new titanium, it just feels cheap. And now it will be so thin that you won’t be able to grip it right. No matter how I try to approach this design it has no net positives other than being able to say that it’s thin.
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I'm sorry I don’t buy tools to feel Premium I tend to go on robustness, longevity and usefulness, I checked and if weight is anything to go buy I have some seriously premium hammers though.
 
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