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'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Two main takeaways here for me.

1. The iPhone Air will most likely start at $900. The same price as the base model iPhone 16 Plus. Surprising given that I was expecting it to be at least $1,000 to start. Even with a gimped camera.

2. The book-style iPhone is inevitable. Hopefully in 2026 but absolutely by 2027 if they need to delay it. Really hope it will be in 2026.
 
Will the decreased thickness of this Air model translate into a noticeable decrease in weight? Otherwise what is the marketing benefit to Apple? The overall form factor size is dictated by the screen so we know that's not gonna be a whole lot smaller than the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup and the thinness of it will have lots of other downsides than benefits so what is Apple to gaining by making this so thin?
 
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Came for 19" MBP, which would be a first minute buy.
Saw foldable, left disappoint.

th-1318510444.jpeg
 
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It sounds like Apple is finally addressing its profit problem. I get it; money was stacking up. I don't blame them. It's coming out of their ears. So these new products aim to address the nuisance money problem that was causing a stir inside the Apple campus, but more so in the board rooms. Insiders claim these new products are sure to stop this profit issue dead in its tracks. Reports claim the problem got worse after the car was canceled, while the Vision Pro helped, they needed to take a more proactive approach.
 
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ksec said:
Well sometimes you have a new model that isn't designed to sell well, but to price other product into other segment and force customers into them, mostly pro.
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I’ve never understood this strategy. Wouldn’t just not making a cheaper worse option at all be a much easier way to force people to buy the more expensive option? That’s a LOT of money to waste on a product not meant to sell.
 
unobtainium said:
Disappointed that the Air will have downgraded features. They should focus on making the flagship phones as thin and light as possible with new battery tech and more efficient processors.. I predict an expensive, gimped Air will sell below their expectations, just like the “Plus” models.
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One reason for the simplified camera and probably smaller front sensors is to clear up internal space so they can make the device thinner. As to whether their experiment will be a success in the marketplace is anyone’s guess. Some people want thicker Pros with longer battery life, so you can’t please everyone. They seem to be experimenting at least.
 
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arthurgd3 said:
Will the decreased thickness of this Air model translate into a noticeable decrease in weight? Otherwise what is the marketing benefit to Apple? The overall form factor size is dictated by the screen so we know that's not gonna be a whole lot smaller than the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup and the thinness of it will have lots of other downsides than benefits so what is Apple to gaining by making this so thin?
Click to expand...
Yeah, there's not much functional benefit to a physically thinner slab phone. Making it thinner doesn't make it easier to pocket (the limiting dimensions there are height and width) or hold—unless you like to use a wallet-style case, since a thinner phone would reduce the total thickness of phone+case

But where thinness is important is in a foldable, where the thickness is obviously doubled when its folded.
 
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subjonas said:
I’ve never understood this strategy. Wouldn’t just not making a cheaper worse option at all be a much easier way to force people to buy the more expensive option? That’s a LOT of money to waste on a product not meant to sell.
Click to expand...
The more expensive option then is only $100-150 more than the other model that you could buy (but don’t like), so it’s an easy upsell. This is different from if that model didn’t exist and the only alternative would be a $300 cheaper model, which then appears more like a bargain, without the model in the middle to muddy the waters.

I don’t actually think that Apple knowingly introduces models that sell poorly, but the upselling effect is real.
 
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There are two approaches to foldable phones:

1. Enable a very large screen size in a normal slab form factor (like the Z Fold).
2. Enable a normal screen size in a very small form factor (like the Z Flip).

I'm assuming Apple will do #1. But I'm hoping they also do #2.
 
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I’m not sure what they mean by inward vs outward facing display. But I definitely want a foldable iPhone.
 
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