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iPhone 17 iPhone Air a Flop, 17 Pro a Massive Hit

I'm wondering who they made the AIR for - what was their target market?

they already have the "e" models for kids/budget
they have the standard "iPhone" which has had a spec bump and is the every iPhone most people need
they have the "Pro" with the 3rd camera and better processor
then there is the "Pro Max" which is a slightly larger version of the Pro.

so where was AIR supposed to fit in?

my view is that it was a skunkworks type prototype which became a live thing, maybe elements of it are to test ahead of the foldable etc.

there's nothing amazing about the AIR, in many ways its the worst of all worlds - lower spec battery, processor, camera etc. compromises made, but for what reason? the standard iPhone model is cheaper than the AIR, yet the standard model has much better specs.

if anything the standard iPhone is more attractive than ever - there's a really hard argument to be had in terms of it being the best phone bang for buck.

if I was making an iPhone I would want:

long battery life
great screen
great cameras
great sound
start the storage at 256 (or 512)

I dont care about a phone being thinner than current models, or lighter than current models.

I am a fan of the larger screen, due to sight issues.
 
I would have an Air if there was a smaller one..

I don't even mean iPhone Mini small, but even just like a 5.8" screen.

The thinness is nice, but it's just flat out too wide and tall.
 
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Hicksmat1976 said:
I'm wondering who they made the AIR for - what was their target market?
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It's for people who value aesthetic over function, and can afford to do so. Follow me here lol, but I've seen many celebrities using this. Teyana Taylor was just spotted at the Chanel show taking videos with it. Zara Larson has selfies on her Instagram page with it. These people have staff who can photograph with better cameras for their socials, so why not opt for the sexiest, arguably luxurious device as your personal phone?

I can afford it financially sure, but I can't afford it in terms of lifestyle to ditch the cameras and performance of a Pro model. They can.
 
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Paul1964 said:
Incorrect. I had a 15 Pro Max and was able to change the focus of the beam.
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I retract my previous post . . . and will make corrections immediately. Appreciate the correction. I got out my 15 Pro Max and verified your comments as being correct then tried adjusting focus on my 15 Pro and was also able to adjust focusing of the flashlight beam as well.
 
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mjpearce023 said:
How is making mobile device lighter and thinner form over function? Isn't the primary function of a mobile device mobility? Were not talking about a desktop computer. A phone that is more comfortable to hold and easier to carry around is actually an improvement to its core functionality in my opinion.
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Fewer features, smaller battery, more expensive.
 
mjpearce023 said:
How is making mobile device lighter and thinner form over function? Isn't the primary function of a mobile device mobility? Were not talking about a desktop computer. A phone that is more comfortable to hold and easier to carry around is actually an improvement to its core functionality in my opinion.
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Then you're not living in 2026. Gen Z and Gen Alpha live on their phone. They grew up using a phone. It is their primary computer. They don't use a desktop computer. Your comment is like the people who argue an iPhone mini works well because they literally use it as a plain old phone.
 
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JPack said:
Then you're not living in 2026. Gen Z and Gen Alpha live on their phone. They grew up using a phone. It is their primary computer. They don't use a desktop computer. Your comment is like the people who argue an iPhone mini works well because they literally use it as a plain old phone.
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It's "to each their own". It's the same reason some prefer the 13" MacBook Air over the 16" MacBook Pro even though it's "worse" overall, because added portability is a valuable function to them. One may be more popular than the other, but one is not more "right".
 
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Paul1964 said:
There's a lot of buyer's remorse out there it would seem.
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I wonder how much of it is just about the single camera.

It seemed odd to me to have bothered with the Camera Control button on the Air, given the single lens.

"Zooming" in software sucks (and can be done post shot anyhow) ... seemed like the wrong model to waste the expense of adding that button/interaction.
 
mjpearce023 said:
How is making mobile device lighter and thinner form over function? Isn't the primary function of a mobile device mobility? Were not talking about a desktop computer. A phone that is more comfortable to hold and easier to carry around is actually an improvement to its core functionality in my opinion.
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Yes, thin/compact and light weight are mainly about function, not form. This is true in tech devices, cars, camping gear--many things in life. Getting things to be smaller and lighter has functional benefits that should be obvious.

An actual example of form over function is using titanium over aluminum for the iPhone. It's heavier and has worse thermals--two actual issues people have had in recent years with iPhone usability. Its only benefits are it's more resistant against dings which is an aesthetic matter; and some people think it looks nicer which again is aesthetic; and some just like that it's a more expensive material which is neither form nor function, I don't know what that is. But its usage are distinctly form over function.
 
subjonas said:
Yes, thin/compact and light weight are mainly about function, not form. This is true in tech devices, cars, camping gear--many things in life. Getting things to be smaller and lighter has functional benefits that should be obvious.

An actual example of form over function is using titanium over aluminum for the iPhone. It's heavier and has worse thermals--two actual issues people have had in recent years with iPhone usability. Its only benefits are it's more resistant against dings which is an aesthetic matter; and some people think it looks nicer which again is aesthetic; and some just like that it's a more expensive material which is neither form nor function, I don't know what that is. But its benefits are distinctly form over function.
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I'll give you one thing about the iPhone Air. It's physically very strong - do you ever watch the JerryRig Everything YouTube channel? Zack had to use and engine hoist to bend it. That titanium frame is as stong as hell. Had it been aluminium, he would have been able to bend it with his bare hands, like he has done with many phones in the past.

It's a pretty phone, yes, but it is feature limited, not least because of the single camera. I use the telephoto on my 17 Pro Max quite often. I never use the ultra wide.

You pays your money you take your choice. As you said - each to their own.
 
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Paul1964 said:
I'll give you one thing about the iPhone Air. It's physically very strong - do you ever watch the JerryRig Everything YouTube channel? Zack had to use and engine hoist to bend it. That titanium frame is as stong as hell. Had it been aluminium, he would have been able to bend it with his bare hands, like he has done with many phones in the past.

It's a pretty phone, yes, but it is feature limited, not least because of the single camera. I use the telephoto on my 17 Pro Max quite often. I never use the ultra wide.

You pays your money you take your choice. As you said - each to their own.
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True, the Air is so thin and light that it probably needs the strength of titanium more than the lightness of aluminum. I was really just referring to the Pros previously. The crazy thing is Apple supposedly made the Air the sturdiest iPhone ever even though it's the thinnest ever. They probably believed they had to be able to tout that claim in order to quell people's instinctive fear that it would bend.

I personally think all iPhones including the Air more or less look similar. I guess I just don't care about the differences in their appearance. I just like that the Air is minimalistic/unintrusive. The telephoto is the only feature I miss from my previous 16 Pro Max. So much so that I got a 30x compact travel camera, but I only carry it if I'm wearing a thicker jacket or my fanny pack. The rest of the times, my Air's camera does the job well enough for me.
 
Zaft said:
What thermal issues? Have you used one? I’ve had the air since launch and I don’t have any thermal issues.
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I had a 15 Pro Max which was made from Titanium and that had thermal issues. I know it might not follow that the iPhone Air would too but as it's also made from Titanium it might still have the same struggles dissipating heat.

On top of that, I regularyly watch the Zollotech YouTube channel and when Aaron runs the benchmarks he looks at the the surface temperature on that back using a Flir dongle in another iPhone. The iPhone Air is consistently 5°C (around 9°F) hotter than the 17 Pro Max. Internally the temparature would probably be higher.

See how you get on in the summer, that's when I had the most issues.
 
Paul1964 said:
I had a 15 Pro Max which was made from Titanium and that had thermal issues. I know it might not follow that the iPhone Air would too but as it's also made from Titanium it might still have the same struggles dissipating heat.

On top of that, I regularyly watch the Zollotech YouTube channel and when Aaron runs the benchmarks he looks at the the surface temperature on that back using a Flir dongle in another iPhone. The iPhone Air is consistently 5°C (around 9°F) hotter than the 17 Pro Max. Internally the temparature would probably be higher.

See how you get on in the summer, that's when I had the most issues.
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Benchmarks mean nothing for real world, just a tech stat.

I’ve also used it in 80 degree Florida weather with no issues.
 
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Zaft said:
Benchmarks mean nothing for real world, just a tech stat.

I’ve also used it in 80 degree Florida weather with no issues.
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All iPhones will overheat eventually when used in high heat areas such as the beach on a hot sunny day or even at your patio. I have seen this even using my 17 Pro.

With that said, I use my Air and other iPhones and don’t worry too much about the “summer heat” as I personally haven’t experienced overheating issues here in the Florida heat, even when using my Air. Love how so many on here are hating openly on the Air. Personally, I haven’t had any issue with my Air and enjoy using it when I take it for the week. It is a solid iPhone.
 
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