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iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

I don’t know if this is true or false, but reporting a rumor as a fact in the headline is really bad reporting and simply lying.
 
JPack said:
Nobody else in the industry needed to build a thin phone to "learn" how to build a foldable. The two things are entirely different. The challenge has always been the hinge.
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…and the UI of having two screens (for the iPhone Fold, also changing the screen aspect ratio considerably), plus the inner foldable screen, plus half of the phone being a sandwich of two screens. The Air doesn’t feature any of that.
 
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Pre-iPhone I was Nokia all the way, and some of their designs were quite radical, but that was one of the great things about Nokia, there seemed to be a variant for everyone. Whilst it's not dead, yet, and I'm not a fan of the Air for myself, there are different courses for different horses, and I'm glad Apple is giving it a crack.
 
I don’t get it. If it weren’t for the Air, I wouldn’t have upgraded. For me, the screen is a bit too big and it’s too heavy, but otherwise it’s fantastic. It feels like a device that might share some heritage with the iPod.

Why the low sales?

Could it have been the onslaught of negative reviews of a device that mostly exceeds the specs of previous generations? Even comments in this thread are pointing out the battery life and single camera. I have yet to have a problem with taking a picture and I get a solid minimum of 36 hours.

It seems like people are afraid of change more than anything else. And, frankly, they allow career “reviewers” to sway their opinions far too easily. These people get paid to seem genuine to get views and engagement, not to give you honest real-world-use opinions.

Is it because people are so reliant on their cell phones to accomplish daily tasks that they need even more powerful devices? I mean, if this is what they think, they’ve been duped. Phones are so advanced now that even a five year old phone is more than capable for practically everything.

Is it all about the price? I don’t think it is. If so, why would they be buying the Pro phone? Or, I should say, why are people bothering to upgrade at all? I think it’s more about peer pressure than anything else. Given the choice, most people will take the safe bet and not risk the ridicule of a device that’s been reviewed as insufficient.

What sucks is that this likely going to minimize the risks Apple is going to take in the future. For a large number of people, these risk-taking devices are some of the best Apple has produced. And for a lot of Apple users, this is a reason we gravitated towards the company - because they explicitly were not Microsoft or Dell or Sony.
 
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Danie_Morrow said:
But generally speaking, why is there so much toxicity? Since when do good sales generally mean good products? I generally like niche products, such as JRPGs — real JRPGs, not mainstream stuff like Claire Obscure, which hardly anyone buys these days, so should we call those games trash and their creators idiots? Air has proven in tests to have perfect battery life for its thickness, perfect performance, and an excellent display size relative to its body size. It's a mature product that really proves the saying that beauty lies in simplicity. Just because it doesn't sell doesn't mean it's a bad product, and it doesn't give you the right to rant or mock Cook or everyone who likes the product.
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One word and simple. Even though it is not possible at all anything is once connected. (I know technically more than one because of all of this first part)


Undiscoverable.
 
WarmWinterHat said:
The majority go into the stores without even knowing there is a new model specifically. They go when their battery is weak, or they break their screen, their contract is up, etc., and just buy the newest model, whatever it happens to be.

I work with people, younger than me (I'm 45), that care so little that they don't even know what model of iPhone they have. Most don't even know there was a new model released. My younger sister doesn't, for example. She has no idea what model she owns, other than the year she bought it.
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Dude, you're talking about iPhones, not Androids. Apple sells marketing; there's a certain tech culture behind the whole brand. Why do you think the vast majority buy Pro? To take pictures of their dog with a 10x zoom? To listen to yoga podcasts in stereo, or so they don't have to charge their phone for two days? Well, well. People definitely want to be trendy, which is why you see Pro models everywhere. Only a tiny fraction of people use what the Pro has to offer. I've owned a Pro myself and have never had any other model. I've taken a few photos with the ultra-wide lens, never used Lidar, never listened to anything other than headphones, and that's how it is for most people. However, the majority like to hear that they need to have it because it's trendy. If it were as you say, then 75% of people would leave the store with the basic model, and not as in reality, where 75% leave the store with the Pro model.
 
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AlexESP said:
I don’t know if this is true or false, but reporting a rumor as a fact in the headline is really bad reporting and simply lying.
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I can see what you mean... Perhaps quotation marks would have negated this; "The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro", reports The Information.
 
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hybrid_x said:
Hopefully the iPhone Air is the last nail in that coffin. Sure, thin is great, but to make it durable, you have to make the frame out of titanium, and you lose battery capacity. So you have a product that costs a premium, is almost as heavy as an iPhone 17, and gets worse battery life.

What's the benefit of "thin"?
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The benefit for men is pocketability without bulk.
 
Danie_Morrow said:
Dude, you're talking about iPhones, not Androids. Apple sells marketing; there's a certain tech culture behind the whole brand. Why do you think the vast majority buy Pro? To take pictures of their dog with a 10x zoom? To listen to yoga podcasts in stereo, or so they don't have to charge their phone for two days? Well, well. People definitely want to be trendy, which is why you see Pro models everywhere. Only a tiny fraction of people use what the Pro has to offer. I've owned a Pro myself and have never had any other model. I've taken a few photos with the ultra-wide lens, never used Lidar, never listened to anything other than headphones, and that's how it is for most people. However, the majority like to hear that they need to have it because it's trendy. If it were as you say, then 75% of people would leave the store with the basic model, and not as in reality, where 75% leave the store with the Pro model.
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They leave with the Pro model because it's more expensive model, and pricier means better to many. It's what is recommended to them by sales people and pushed on the front pages of carrier internet storefronts.

Coworker of mine has a 17 Pro Max; she bought after losing her previous model on a trip about a week ago... She has no idea what model she had previously, and mis-identified her current model as a 16.

iPhones in the US have no cachet anymore once you're out of highschool. They did, but now anyone and everyone can get one easily.
 
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Three boring "colors," one camera even though they definitely could've done two, chintzy-looking polished sides, and just that much wider than the base Pro that it's uncomfortable to hold. This should've been an obvious result.
 
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Danie_Morrow said:
But generally speaking, why is there so much toxicity? Just because it doesn't sell doesn't mean it's a bad product, and it doesn't give you the right to rant or mock Cook or everyone who likes the product.
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Sadly, toxicity is often a default for humans, and forums and social media are but one example. The "Well I don't like it so nobody should like it" mindset is alive and well. Ignore the stuff you don't agree with and soak up the stuff you do.
 
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Onelifenofear said:
They should have actually designed something different.

Perhaps a Wedge Phone... iWedge? Like the Mac Air.

View attachment 2578114
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Great idea! make it even thicker at the top so the "camera bump" can be eliminated. And let's get the weight down. 12g lighter than the 17 is a joke ... how about under 100g with a 2 day battery life.

Lot's of ideas could have been pursued but Apply is lazy lazy lazy ... just make incremental changes (call them "improvements") and keep the 40% margins rolling.

C'est la vie.
 
Boo… love my air. But my biggest worry was the risk it might make my next phone in 3-4 years seem super thick and heavy like all other phones now seem, and with this news that is now almost certain.
 
This failure entirely on Apple and their obsession with 'thinness' and generally for not having a clue what people actually want. Absolutely NO ONE, not one single person outside of 1 Apple Park cares about their phone being 1 mm thinner or 5 grams lighter - especially if it means shorter battery life, thermal throttled processors, weaker performance and a premium price!

I know I would gladly buy a phone that is 1 or 2 mm THICKER - tif they could pack in a battery that last 24 - 36 hour or more, and allow the max un-throttled performance possible from the A series chips!!!
Longer lasting batteries and more performance THAT is what people really want!!!
 
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Having held one, at least, It's quite nice... I feel this is just a hard sell given that most people often like their battery life + larger screen + pro cameras, first and foremost. If it is retired, the Air will be lovingly remembered by a core set of people who wanted a 'small phone' again, with some noting that while it's not as small as the mini, it fulfills their desire for a minimal or lightweight phone. It will be fondly remembered by those who fit that narrow margin - probably only around 5-10% of iPhone users.
 
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