Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I think they need to be really careful how they price the fold device (assuming the rumors are true). Obviously it's going to be more expensive, but if it's TOO high, it risks the same thing happening to that device as well.
They might be delaying the Air 2 in order to not create additional competition for the Fold upon launch.
 
They need to understand that if they’re selling a phone with worse specs than the baseline, people are always going to choose the cheapest option, no matter the design. It’s exactly the same mistake they made with the minis. You want the Air to sell better? Place it under the base 17. That’s exactly why the 16e is apparently a success.
 
Still say an updated smaller Pro would sell better. Doesn't have to be mini small, but again take the ~5.85" screen size of the X/Xs/11 Pro (which people loved) and put it in a new updated Pro body with all the Pro features. With all the improvements over the years the battery life while not as good as the Pro/Pro Max, could still be pretty good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: raybo
That is too bad. I own one and amazed every-time I pick it up how much better it compares to my old 16 Pro or the 17 Pro I tried. When I had both the Air and the 17 Pro, I reached for the Air every-time, as it felt so much better and the screen seemed so much better being larger. Definitely more upsides to it than downsides for me.

Battery life is just as good as my 16 Pro was and I never use speaker, as have Airpods, so could care less about that.
What about the camera?

I experimented with one in a store and liked the design (including how light it was). I think I could easily have coped with the battery limitation. And the reduced speaker quality wouldn’t have bothered me. But the camera was a dealbreaker. The lack of a halfway decent telephoto lens would be too much of a sacrifice. So I’m sticking to my 13 Pro for the time being. Even without an improved Air next year is likely to provide a reason to upgrade.
 
I think it's really all about that camera. It's a significant downgrade now that we're all used to having at least a wide angle option. I also suspect there's some misinformation going around about the battery life because it's so thin, but Apple still really needs to learn that most people don't want to make compromises like this for the sake of thinness or "simplicity". I've seen this play out so many times with them. i.e. the single USB-C port Macbook with the super thin keyboard. It was cool and beautiful machine as a concept, but just not practical for actual use. Especially for the price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbineseaplane
I bet people love the form factor but not at the expense of the function they want or expect. They should come out with a Pro Air. Everything the same as the Pro but a thinner form factor. Once solid state batteries hit consumer goods, this may happen.
 
Price and perceived value are the issue. You're paying more for what appears to be a budget device to the average consumer (single camera lens). People who don't even know what the different cameras do still perceive the devices with more cameras as being better phones. The regular iPhone 17 is better but cheaper so that kills the Air. To the consumer the Air looks like an aesthetically pretty budget iPhone but has a premium price. Drop it to $599 to be in line with its features and it will sell.

At this point I don't really think there's any price/feature iPhone that Apple can make that successfully sits between the regular iPhone and the Pro iPhones in value to the consumer.
 
It's not a marketing thing when folks are going into stores and choosing the alternatives right next to it.
Wake up, the vast majority go to the store with their minds made up, most people want the orange one because they saw it in the ad. Those on a budget will go for the basic model. The iPhone Air was supposed to be marketed as a luxury designer iPhone with a titanium body for a special group. Apple should have advertised it, highlighting its uniqueness. It did nothing. All it did was pull out a completely useless battery pack at the keynote, which is a fail considering that the Air lasts longer than the 16 Pro. They could have pulled out the 16 Pro and shown that there is greater endurance in a thin body.
 


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.

iphone-air-thinness.jpg

Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen.

Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts. Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly dismantled all but one and a half of its production lines for the iPhone Air, and all production is expected to be stopped at the end of the month. Luxshare, another supplier, stopped production at the end of October.

Apple was counting on the novel look of the device to spark interest, because it features the first substantial design update that we've seen to the iPhone lineup since the iPhone X added Face ID and an all-display design in 2017. Creating a super thin 5.6mm iPhone required compromises, so the iPhone Air has a smaller battery and a single-lens rear camera, but it still has a high price tag. Apple priced it starting at $999, and that appears to be more than customers are willing to pay for style without substance. The iPhone Air is only $100 cheaper than the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, which has a triple-lens rear camera and much better battery life.

Apple has not been able to land on a fourth iPhone that will sell well alongside the standard iPhone and Pro iPhone models. Apple experimented with a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone mini that suffered from disappointing sales, then moved on to the larger "Plus" iPhone that served as a more affordable version of the Pro Max. Plus models also failed, leading to the iPhone Air.

Apple has already been planning for a split launch for the iPhone starting with the iPhone 18 models. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone are planned for fall 2026, while the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will be held until early 2027. It's possible that the next-generation iPhone Air will come out alongside the iPhone 18 in the spring.

Apple has been working on a second-generation version of the iPhone Air with a lighter weight, vapor chamber cooling, and a larger battery capacity, but Apple could rethink the design.

Article Link: iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version
Yikes…there are folks on the forum who are going to take this really hard and they will then have to double down on their delusions of grandeur regarding the Air to compensate 😬

A real shame Apple have missed the mark with the iPhone Air as the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro lineup on the other hand have been excellent releases from every point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: decypher44
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.