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iPhone 17 Air is Launching Soon, Here Are All the Rumors

What are they selling?

1. New
2. Thin.. (or both).

This is all you're going to get for your $800. Why would I trade my much more capable camera, and phone for either of these two:

New but worse, or thin...

Does anyone care about thin? who doesn't own a case for their phone these days? When you invest a grand on a phone you have a case.

Everyone who carries a phone could probs benefit from losing a pound or two - and we're expected to care about fractions of an ounce?

I know Apple catches a lot of flac for its iterative design for the last 15+ years, instead of doing any 'new' design - and I always defend them. However, this is the first release that just seems like a money grab, or.. pointless.

What % of customers have been clamoring for a slightly thinner phone and a worse camera.

Why not spend that R&D on things customers care about... uh.. useful AI..

Who cares about your stupid glassmorphic UI, and your slow drip of improvements. I'm sure you have a 10 year plan to get rid of 'the notch'.. each version coming out making it a bit less noticeable. Horrible business model since Jobs died.
 
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Waiting to see the new slim iPhone. Not impressed with the rumored colors and battery life. Will be disappointing if it is going to have only one camera.
 
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I won't be buying one, but I will go check it out when it arrives at my local stores. I've had my 16PM for less than a year, so I can't justify trading even if I find the device compelling.
 
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russell_314 said:
Small phones just don’t sell. The iPhone mini is dead
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The mini, by some estimates, sold about 7 million units. For many other companies that would be a huge success. With Apple’s resources, I don’t know why they can’t manufacture minis for those who want them. The only main difference is the size; they use nearly all the same components as the other iPhones.
 
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Taq'aix said:
Please deliver a sleek, modernized take on the iPhone 11 design. We’re tired of the same dull, predictable brick design. The iPhone’s design is as dull as Tim Cook’s demeanor. One gigantic yawn fest.
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Most people use a cover anyway so you can make your dull brick look as sleek as you want.
 
I know the Air isn't for everyone, but if I were in the market for a non-folding iPhone, the Air is the one I would buy.
 
QCassidy352 said:
So confused what problem this is supposed to solve. The people who like small phones (including me) want pocketability and one handed operation. a thin big screen phone with bad battery life and one camera for a premium price is a really weird value proposition.
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It solves the weight problem while having a larger screen for those who prefer them. It might be a weird proposition to you but not everyone has the same priorities.
 
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sigma7 said:
I hope consumers reject this device, thus demonstrating their opposition to battery reduction to achieve a mere thinner design.
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Why are you hoping for this? If you value battery life, buy the Pro Max. What’s wrong with you people? How is this affecting you in any way if it’s not a device for you? Are you actively buying every device out there right now? No. So what’s the issue with this existing for people who want it? If it doesn’t suit you, don’t buy it. Jeez.
 
wyrdness said:
So you visit macrumors.com, read the rumors and then complain that you've read them 😂
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You don’t need to read MacRumours to see the air mockup. Following tech and giving some likes here and there, and the algorithms will show it to you regardless. I think that’s what he means when he refers to leaks.
 
I can't imagine thinking that a super thin phone with a weak battery would be impressive in 2025.
 
jayducharme said:
The mini, by some estimates, sold about 7 million units. For many other companies that would be a huge success. With Apple’s resources, I don’t know why they can’t manufacture minis for those who want them. The only main difference is the size; they use nearly all the same components as the other iPhones.
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Apple sold 232 million iPhones just last year. 7 million might as well be zero for Apple. They lose money with such small sales.

Sure, some small business could make a mini phone on smaller scale, but it doesn’t make sense for a company like Apple to do this.
 
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Loud_Texan said:
Small phone users don’t spend as much time staring at the screen. That’s bad for business. Tim hates it.
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I don't think Apple cares that much. Their business model doesn't really depend on screen time, like those of advertisement based business models. Apple only depends on customers finding enough value in their purchase to make the purchase, whether the customer uses the device (or even service) 12 hours or 1 hour per day. That's why they can make an app like Screen Time that doesn't directly conflict with their bottom line, but why a company like Facebook could never do the same.

I'm sure there is a correlation with screen time and Apple's revenue, but it's indirect and not strictly necessary. I suspect the bigger motivator for Apple (and phone manufacturers in general) to exclude small phones (besides the smaller demand for small phones) is the tendency of larger devices to have higher profit margins. People equate size with value, even if from a manufacturing standpoint, the increased cost in making the bigger device is a fraction of what people perceive the increased value is and are therefore willing to pay.
 
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Loud_Texan said:
Small phone users don’t spend as much time staring at the screen. That’s bad for business. Tim hates it.
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There are scenarios where that would happen like people trying to detox, but I don’t think it’s the most common one.


People that want a small phone are a different consumer. If they are forced to buy a larger phone, I don’t think it would cause them to use it more.

People that buy a larger phone buy it because they want to use it.
 
jayducharme said:
The mini, by some estimates, sold about 7 million units. For many other companies that would be a huge success. With Apple’s resources, I don’t know why they can’t manufacture minis for those who want them. The only main difference is the size; they use nearly all the same components as the other iPhones.
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I love my mini. When mini-lovers speculate on why it didn’t sell very well, the general answer is battery life. The fact that Apple is trying another lightweight iPhone, this time with a big screen and so-so battery life suggests that Apple believes it was screen size. If there’s an 18 Air and a 19 Air, we’ll know.
 
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jayducharme said:
The mini, by some estimates, sold about 7 million units. For many other companies that would be a huge success. With Apple’s resources, I don’t know why they can’t manufacture minis for those who want them. The only main difference is the size; they use nearly all the same components as the other iPhones.
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Agreed. They should assemble it in the US, low volume product just like the Mac Pro, for funsies and headlines.
 
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jayducharme said:
The mini, by some estimates, sold about 7 million units. For many other companies that would be a huge success. With Apple’s resources, I don’t know why they can’t manufacture minis for those who want them. The only main difference is the size; they use nearly all the same components as the other iPhones.
Click to expand...

Yep, but the mini was also cheaper than the regular.
So by taking away the mini, those 7 million sales become 7 million sales of a different model that costs at least $100 more. That's 700 million added to the bottom line, plus saving on complexity on the supply chain. Some exec got a fat bonus for that idea.

I mean it's apple; what are people gonna do? start buying galaxy minis? they may rage but eventually they'll buy another iphone.
 
I’ve literally had a new iPhone every year since 2007. It’s just something that I do. Most years, there are small differences that seem necessary meanwhile, most people don’t get a new phone for many many years. I was very interested in the iPhone 17 Air but if it’s not the same size as the current iPhone Pro (not Max) they really messed up that whole purpose of making a lighter phone. I may for once skip getting a new phone. Phone colors look cool online but we all use a case and who cares what color phone it is no one can see it. Make a more durable phone that requires no case.
 
the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will supposedly have a frame that uses less glass than current models, so it could be able to better withstand damage from drops.
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Is this the dropping referred to in "awe dropping"?

An iphone that you don't need to use a case for, would be, IMO, a big upgrade.
 
As someone still rocking an iPhone XS Max, I'm leaning toward the Air. And I like all the new tech stuff, but using a phone this old for this long proved to me how far I can go. I started my podcast business and automotive brand off this old phone 2 years ago and haven't changed it yet.

My wife has had all the new iPhones, I'll use hers for a bit, try it out, and eventually just move on, and the FOMO wears off. This time I'm finally at failing hardware (overheating, battery drain, not charging, etc.), so its time.

The best part about this, as long as it's better than teh XS Max (obviously), I'm happy. I won't need to fight for what has the best specs or what cameras are here; whatever I get is a MASSIVE upgrade.
 
russell_314 said:
Exactly me too. Looking at a spec sheet, which people in these forms do doesn’t tell the whole story. People look at some numbers like, well this one is 2.4738 and this other one is 2.5691 and they’ll say well you know the numbers are close so basically there’s no difference. Yeah I made up some numbers to make a point. Just like the numbers for the MacBook Air versus MacBook Pro don’t show the real life feel when you pick those laptops up the numbers for the iPhone Pro versus regular iPhone or soon to be iPhone Air don’t show the real life feel.

If you have an iPhone Pro Max, go ahead and pick up (I mean physically lift with your hands not purchase) a regular iPhone. I did and I was amazed at how different it felt in my hand. If Apple can make an iPhone that has similar weight to the regular iPhone, but a larger screen that would be amazing.
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Exactly. Every time I pick up a Pixel or Samsung device, I’m blown away by how heavy my 16 Pro feels in comparison.
 
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