iPhone Air iPhone Air Lack of Popularity

[grammatica]

It's Apple's hubris. Apple still works within the Steve Jobs idea that customers don't know what they want and that Apple should tell them what they want. Well, turns out, consumers do know what they want, and it's not a phone with less but costs more.

Since the rumors about the iPhone Air, I was immediately skeptical—why would anyone want an iPhone that is inferior to the Pro but more expensive than the 17, when the 17 is going to get Pro Motion?

 

[decypher44]

Was in my local Apple Store this morning to return a case. Two lines before opening: One for pickups, the other for everything else. As the employees were checking with people in line, someone behind me asked if there are any 17s available to purchase. They told her that there were no Pro or PM, but they have “tons” of Airs available. This is a bigger store.

 

[Bstephens]

A 17 plus would have sold much better at $899.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

Everyone is too obsessed over the Air and it's not so popularity. The reality is that Apple took a gamble on a new style of iPhone and its too early to see if it will be success or failure.

While we look at the current conditions they are ramping up production of the base 17 models due to popularity which I don't think Apple was expecting. They hit it out of the park with the base model this year and it's a strong contender. The value cannot be matched. Such a fantastic price for a fantastic unit.

The Pro Models will always be popular due to the upgrades in performance and camera. Plus it's a status thing to have the latest and greatest iPhone. Granted the Pro Series usually is top notch this years design imo is tacky, but I think it will help drive sales because its unique compared to the tired ol design from the last many years.

The Air is ambitious with its sleek and slim design. While it does have sacrifice many things and is a big pricier, the reality is it's still a nice device.

The matter of opinion that the Air is a fashion accessory is crap. The thing is this year is one of the first years in many we have options. OPTIONS! Something for everyone as I call it. Some like smaller, some want the latest and greatest, and some want to go for unique. Let people enjoy what they choose to go with.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

A 17 plus would have sold much better at $899.

If they offered the 17Plus in mist blue I would have bought it immediately.

 

[surferfb]

The iPhone Air is a great phone except usb2 and mono speakers.

USB2 is absolutely a “MacRumors poster” issue, not a real world issue. I suspect the number of people who plug in their devices to anything other than a charger is single digit percentage. And I say this as someone who has used the faster transfer speeds on the pro phones.

 

[Phonzoxd]

A 17 plus would have sold much better at $899.

We didnt know what we had until it was gone

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

We didnt know what we had until it was gone

The masses ruined it for those of us that longed for it.

 

[G5isAlive]

How do you know what he was asking me? In my interpretation I was asked why didn’t I get the Air and as you can see I stated in the beginning that this is my reasoning and in another post we shared I said try it out for yourself and see if it works for you. I would never want to discourage someone based on my personal preference.

Because I actually read all his posts. 🙂

and yet you would discourage them based on cosmetics and perceived battery life?

Okey dokey.

 

[Greenmeenie]

The iPhone Air is the precursor to the iPhone fold next year.

 

[surferfb]

Side note, my non-tech obsessed wife’s impression on picking up the air:

“Oh. Wow. If I trusted the battery I’d totally get this phone. When it’s done getting set up let me play with it.”

It wouldn’t shock me if this phone is a “need to feel it to get it” device and sells well despite not being attractive to early adopters and the type of people who post on MacRumors. Also wouldn’t shock me if it sells horribly because people are worried about batteries and cameras.

At least we can all agree Apple isn’t being boring this year. (Narrator: In fact, we couldn’t all agree 🤣)

 

[Drk89wng]

So a few things in this. The Air and the other iPhones are not selling out. Carrier availability is a facade. They do not get the most stock and if they do it’s not all at once. Apple has been more and more prepared each year for production of these new devices and don’t set themselves up for the same failures of the past. The customers going into Apple stores are mostly getting the Pros because of the camera. But surprisingly there has been a lot of people buying and loving the Air. Talking to a lot of Apple reps and being a T-Mobile corporate employee I and others have learned the Air was the most produced model for launch and the rest and being ramped up through the holidays. When reporting of sales of the phones come out from a reputable source near Q1 2026 a lot of people will be surprised at how a seemingly niche phone is being received. It’s a great phone and does everything the average person needs, anything beyond that is now niche imo because how much better can a picture you’re planning to share on social media or to people with devices that will not always display the picture the same as the device it was taken on.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

I just find it hilarious those who are against people purchasing the Air are so obsessed with the battery and cameras. Believe me, we are well aware of the smaller battery and lack of cameras but those arent everything to some of us. Some want the new experience instead of the tired of small upgrades.


Ok so you didnt purchase an Air because of those things, your choice. Don't ruin the happiness others have for wanting it. I mean you dont see me telling you that your 16 pro/PM was more than enough and you didnt need that ugly orange iphone. 😉

Seriously though why cant we be supportive here. This is an exciting year as we all won in the department of getting something unique. Either an amazing Pro/PM, a thin as hell model or a beast of base model

 

[ssledoux]

I bought an Air outright, to test for a week or so.

It’s been pretty great so far. The Air would replace my 16 Pro as my daily driver.

I’m not missing the wide angle camera … yet. Jury is still out on that. I use the wide angle a fair amount on the 16 Pro.

One surprise is how much better it is to type on it. I’m back to my iPhone 4/4S days 😁

-

What makes it better to type on? That’s always a struggle for me.

My plan was to trade in my 15 PM for an Air, and I wound up going with a regular pro. I didn’t want to get the Air and miss the camera features, and I was a little concerned about the speaker since I almost always use speakerphone. I know when I see them in the store I’m gonna have regrets. I was really looking forward to that perfect screen size, and light weight.

 

[Cyberguycpt]

I just find it hilarious those who are against people purchasing the Air are so obsessed with the battery and cameras. Believe me, we are well aware of the smaller battery and lack of cameras but those arent everything to some of us. Some want the new experience instead of the tired of small upgrades.


Ok so you didnt purchase an Air because of those things, your choice. Don't ruin the happiness others have for wanting it. I mean you dont see me telling you that your 16 pro/PM was more than enough and you didnt need that ugly orange iphone. 😉

Seriously though why cant we be supportive here. This is an exciting year as we all won in the department of getting something unique. Either an amazing Pro/PM, a thin as hell model or a beast of base model

It goes both ways, do you know how many post there are on here talking about how big, ugly, bulky the Pro Max is. How elegant and beautiful the Air is while the Pro is a relic from the past with the same old and boring design. Don’t you think we want to enjoy our phones too.

 

[Thats_Not_Marcus]

It goes both ways, do you know how many post there are on here talking about how big, ugly, bulky the Pro Max is. How elegant and beautiful the Air is while the Pro is a relic from the past with the same old and boring design. Don’t you think we want to enjoy our phones too.

Lemme shame you! SHAAAAAAAAAAME!!!!

To be fair I haven't really gone in search of all the complaints but I just find it hilariously sad really. Like each device has its perks, its downfalls, etc. I mean that orange is ugly but there are people who have wanted an orange iPhone or were excited!

To me, it's about the experience and life is already hard so why not enjoy your choice and let others enjoy theirs. If someone wants better battery and better cameras, great! If someone wants a smaller compact device, great! If someone wants to be different with the Air great. Each match a personality and fits in the daily lives of what we want/need/desire.

This year is just so exciting and I'm talking to a friend about it currently. He went from a 16PM to an Air and he has zero regrets. Its just so intriguing reading what decisions they made and how they made those.

 

[Cyberguycpt]

Because I actually read all his posts. 🙂

and yet you would discourage them based on cosmetics and perceived battery life?

Okey dokey.

I don’t know what you read sir, I told him or her to see if it works for them and their lifestyle. When they pressed for more I clearly as you pointed out gave superficial reasons that I truly had. Screen size, they said they had the Pro, battery and again shouldn’t be a problem for them again they had the pro. How is that discouraging them.

 

[danpass]

What makes it better to type on? That’s always a struggle for me.

My plan was to trade in my 15 PM for an Air, and I wound up going with a regular pro. I didn’t want to get the Air and miss the camera features, and I was a little concerned about the speaker since I almost always use speakerphone. I know when I see them in the store I’m gonna have regrets. I was really looking forward to that perfect screen size, and light weight.

Not entirely sure. But going from the 4 to the 5 it was immediately apparent that my typing was off. I compared and the keys seemed to be a little closer together on-screen.

That carried through the phones until trying it out on the Air.

Brettka7 made an observation in a thread I started about this:​

"The moment I disabled letter pop-ups and enabled haptic keyboard feedback is the moment that I began being able to type again. Makes it feel like a real keyboard similar to a MacBook touchpad click. Thankfully, iOS 26 came to that same realization this year!"​

​

I've since changed the settings on my 16 Pro on iOS 18 and it is .... better. The Air still rules lol.​

-

 

[TechnoMonk]

Agreed and I think you bring up a good point of who is the Airs intended audience. Arguably more than any other year the base 7 is very well specked out. So why pay $200 more for a thinner phone. Likewise many’s Pro users wont want to give up features or battery for a slimmer phone. So what audience is it supplying?

Those right in between base 17 and Pro. If you don’t get it, it isn’t for you. It’s great to have choices. Do you complain about every device you don’t want or don’t get the intent?

 

[TechnoMonk]

OP you are in good company here at MR. A lot of Sunday morning armchair engineers pontificating on 'but what about, or why didn't they' and then go on to describe something totally beyond current technology. As a marketing exercise, okay, speculate I suppose, but while it is interesting to dream of the future, I want a real product today.

But sure, if said hypothetical did exist, I would probably buy it. Because why not?

But it doesnt and can't exist today.

sounds like OP is trying to get out of IPhone Air FOMO.I don’t see a reason for this thread to exist otherwise.

 

[Snot Rox]

Love the iPhone air, given me an experience I haven’t felt since the iPhone X. I think the biggest concern comes down to the battery life.

Photographers and cinematographers would always go to the pro route for the cameras. So the air was never for them. So the question becomes 17 vs air. So at this point we can easily tell the differences between the two. I would argue the battery and maybe the telephoto lens are the two biggest features lacking. The telephoto lens, I’m not sure how popular this actually is amongst daily users, I never used mine much, so it’s loss is no factor for me. But the battery life seems way more significant. Most people deal with the reality of needing a charge in the middle of the day, so why “upgrade” to a phone that you may have to charge more often?

I think that’s where the main miss was. If the air somehow could have a battery capacity between the 17 and the 17 pro, I believe it would have blown through the sales.

Though using it, it definitely I feel it’s more of an experience phone. If one loved the features and benefits of the phones on paper, androids may be the victor. But apple has been one to thrive on user experiences. So the air seems to be drawing more to those who have had “more than enough” with their existing phones for a while, but excited for a new experience. The 13 pro had everything I needed and more. Everything since then has felt incremental and boring for me. Never got the “apple” feel. The air I think is the introduction to that, to gauge how many are interested in something different. Obviously they are doing the fold next year for about double the price, so to launch the air to gauge the level of interest could be a stepping stone for them to predict the manufacturing quantity required for next years phones?

If the Air had a better battery capacity and at least 2 cameras like the base 17 I’d have gone for it.

 

[ARK]

It depends on what you value. If you value one-handed usage, the pro will be better. If you value thinness and lightness, get the Air.

I don’t see how an Air wouldn’t be one-handed..?

 

[Cyberguycpt]

sounds like OP is trying to get out of IPhone Air FOMO.I don’t see a reason for this thread to exist otherwise.

Nah, I had a genuine question because my expectations was it was going to sell like hotcakes, which it could have but Apple just made many more that the Pros. The Air would have never been my choice due to the screen size alone. Now if it was a 6.9 inch I would have had some thinking to day.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Nah, I had a genuine question because my expectations was it was going to sell like hotcakes, which it could have but Apple just made many more that the Pros. The Air would have never been my choice due to the screen size alone. Now if it was a 6.9 inch I would have had some thinking to day.

lol. How do you know it isn’t selling like hotcakes? Why are you complaining if Air was never your choice? Do you complain about every device you don’t or can’t own? I am a pro Max customer, but I don’t see big problem with Air. If Anything, it’s great what Apple could do in that form factor. Air more or less hints at Apple future for iPhones and other models can borrow some of that design .

 

[Dhonk]

I have no idea why you think it "lacks popularity"? When I was in the store to setup my new 17PM, at my table there were 2 people setting up iPhone Air, 3 other people incl myself had orange phones...
I think a lot of people will want to try it in person before buying.
I liked the "feel" of the Air, for me personally lack of cameras make it a no go.
But "popularity" - hyperbole

I ordered mine and have been enjoying it. I have 3 other people that have held it and plan on getting one. Given that 90%+ of Pro buyers don't need a pro phone, I think the Air will do just fine. And the battery has been perfectly fine all day battery, just like my 15 was.