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iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version
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It really is surprising that a retail products company as large as Apple is, can so poorly judge consumer demand information and metrics for a product.
That said, it’s also a product of a company as large as Apple is; bored engineers and designers who have a thirst for the Apple of old, convinced enough people higher up to build something premium and cutting edge like this. And then, once it’s created, it has to go out for sale, what else are you going to do with it after putting all those resources toward it.
I am sure engineering and design lessons have been learnt in the mass production of the Air, likely to see those benefits and knowledge next in the folding phone.
But as much as it’s a technical achievement, complete over estimation of what the market thinks. Pricing and the fact that 80% or more put a case on phones, which negates this design completely.
That said, it’s also a product of a company as large as Apple is; bored engineers and designers who have a thirst for the Apple of old, convinced enough people higher up to build something premium and cutting edge like this. And then, once it’s created, it has to go out for sale, what else are you going to do with it after putting all those resources toward it.
I am sure engineering and design lessons have been learnt in the mass production of the Air, likely to see those benefits and knowledge next in the folding phone.
But as much as it’s a technical achievement, complete over estimation of what the market thinks. Pricing and the fact that 80% or more put a case on phones, which negates this design completely.
Apple will take the loss of the iPhone Air in stride because it accomplished what I believe was its primary mission: it got people more interested in this year's lineup and sold more iPhones overall.
Ironically, the phone itself didn't sell because people realized, once they took a look, that the 17 and 17 Pro/Max were much better value. Apple will consider this a very expensive marketing strategy that paid off. And next year, they'll have the Fold. And they'll sell even more phone overall even if that tanks, simply because it will generate interest.
Ironically, the phone itself didn't sell because people realized, once they took a look, that the 17 and 17 Pro/Max were much better value. Apple will consider this a very expensive marketing strategy that paid off. And next year, they'll have the Fold. And they'll sell even more phone overall even if that tanks, simply because it will generate interest.
An entire generation of iPhone 6 and 7 Plus users switched to iPhone X even though it was entirely different. People weren't used to Face ID. The iPhone X was lighter and the display was smaller. It was $999. But there were obvious advantages.
iPhone Air doesn't hit any of those marks. Being lighter than thinner isn't a big deal because current devices simply aren't heavy or thick enough to matter given the compromises of the Air.
iPhone Air 256GB can be had for €1000 new from several respectable shops in my country for several weeks now (no Black Friday sales!), down from €1200 at launch two months ago. No idea if such a huge rebate ever happened this early for any iPhone model in the last 10 or 15 years, including the Minis.
I really loved the iPhone 11 Pro Max. In many ways it was the ideal phone. I am not sure the half pound “hand tablet” is an entirely positive alternative. Of course that doesn’t stop me from buying the biggest bestest new hotness.
But I just asked AI to compare the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the iPhone Air. The Air does not compare very favorably at all for a $1000 device that is 6 years newer. Especially in the camera department. The Air is like 3mm skinnier (woo hoo).
Apple was WAY too obsessed with making the thinnest phone technologically possible. An 11 Pro Max with bumped specs would have been a FAR better choice. The Air just trades down every conceivable spec to decade old numbers just to shave off a couple mm. It was a terrible business mistake. And it will cost millions. Fortunately to Apple millions is a chump change round off error. But it is a great disservice to people that wanted a non-hand-tablet.
But I just asked AI to compare the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the iPhone Air. The Air does not compare very favorably at all for a $1000 device that is 6 years newer. Especially in the camera department. The Air is like 3mm skinnier (woo hoo).
Apple was WAY too obsessed with making the thinnest phone technologically possible. An 11 Pro Max with bumped specs would have been a FAR better choice. The Air just trades down every conceivable spec to decade old numbers just to shave off a couple mm. It was a terrible business mistake. And it will cost millions. Fortunately to Apple millions is a chump change round off error. But it is a great disservice to people that wanted a non-hand-tablet.
I was in the store today and saw one for the first time. It’s not that it was bad in and of itself , just felt like a lower end, budget phone. A sort of novel concept, but it didn’t feel like it belonged in the same class as the other phones. Sort of a gimmick, and for what it is -way, way overpriced.
There’s no such thing as a company that gets it right every time. They flopped here and also with Vision Pro and of course the « can’t innovate my arse » Trashcan debacle. Is what it is. I’m not going to buy it so I don’t really care.
There’s no such thing as a company that gets it right every time. They flopped here and also with Vision Pro and of course the « can’t innovate my arse » Trashcan debacle. Is what it is. I’m not going to buy it so I don’t really care.
similar to as others have said, my thought is: if the 12 mini, 14 plus, and air all didn’t meet expectations, maybe the products aren’t the issue?
I’d love to know which one came the closest. I really think Apple should return to offering a smaller phone. Especially if you view it as a loss leader to keep those folks in the ecosystem.
I’d love to know which one came the closest. I really think Apple should return to offering a smaller phone. Especially if you view it as a loss leader to keep those folks in the ecosystem.
An additional problem for the mini was that it launched only a few months after the SE2, which many in the small-phone audience had already jumped on, after years of waiting.
For the Air there is a similar thing with the pretty slick minimalist 16e (it’s actually thinner than the Air if you count the camera, and weighs about the same), and the substantially upgraded iPhone 17 which is arguably the best-value iPhone ever.
Sometimes I wonder what goes on in their mind when they are planning out these releases.
Harbingers of failure: meet the customers you don’t want to love your product
If products you like keep getting discontinued, get used to it.
arstechnica.com
🫶As mentioned, the design and engineering lessons learned with mass producing the Air were in one sense a test case for the folding IPhone.
The Folding IPhone will basically be two Airs hinged together.
The Folding IPhone will basically be two Airs hinged together.
The features which make or break (pun intended) a folding phone are the display and the hinge.
How can you test that with the Air?
This is a such surprise - the tech blogs and YouTube reviewers said the Air was amazing! /s
Lotta "industry plants" out there. Bigger Plants than Robert, reviewing the latest "Big Log". Meanwhile, over the hills and far away, Tim Cook holds no quarter as he squeezes the KPI lemon 'til the juice runs down his leg. I don't have a whole lotta love for tech right now (classic good times/bad times) but that's the way - a foolin the rain and his money will always find a way to part. But Apple will fall from the misty mountain, eventually. Their time is gonna come.
Lotta "industry plants" out there. Bigger Plants than Robert, reviewing the latest "Big Log". Meanwhile, over the hills and far away, Tim Cook holds no quarter as he squeezes the KPI lemon 'til the juice runs down his leg. I don't have a whole lotta love for tech right now (classic good times/bad times) but that's the way - a fool
They should have actually designed something different.
Perhaps a Wedge Phone... iWedge? Like the Mac Air.
Perhaps a Wedge Phone... iWedge? Like the Mac Air.
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.
Huawei's tri-fold phone launched in 2024 is still thinner than Apple's upcoming 2026 foldable.
The lower end has been 940€ here for a while now, and the black model currently goes as low as 919€, that’s almost 24% off.
Apple needs to get rid of the entire "Air" segment from its product lineup.
It made sense at one point when they launched their first laptop without CD-ROM and Hard drive, but right now Apple only uses it as an excuse to maintain a “mid-range” lineup that users don’t really understand.
It doesn’t make sense for the iPad, the iPhone, or the Mac.
Apple should have: iPhone < iPhone Pro, MacBook < MacBook Pro, iPad < iPad Pro.
It made sense at one point when they launched their first laptop without CD-ROM and Hard drive, but right now Apple only uses it as an excuse to maintain a “mid-range” lineup that users don’t really understand.
It doesn’t make sense for the iPad, the iPhone, or the Mac.
Apple should have: iPhone < iPhone Pro, MacBook < MacBook Pro, iPad < iPad Pro.
Well, I actually love my AIR. The camera doesn't really bother me enough to switch to a PRO model. If anything, the one speaker is my only minor issue. But... still, it's not enough to switch to a PRO. I wanted a phone for the actual use of a phone, email and internet. I chose to go simple but with a premium price. I'm ok with that.
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.
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.
Hardly a surprise. The iPhone X was a flagship phone, with a new design, better UX, and camera. It was a great phone. It removed the home button and felt like the future.
The iPhone air is just lighter, but has worse camera and battery life. With the failure of the Mini and people preferring the pro line generally, why would they pay more less? It’s not a flagship, but an expensive compromise.
Maybe in the future the tech it pioneered will be used for future phones, but right now I can’t see why anyone would want it. It’s light yes, but still huge.
I’m amazed Apple thought it would be anything but this result.
The iPhone air is just lighter, but has worse camera and battery life. With the failure of the Mini and people preferring the pro line generally, why would they pay more less? It’s not a flagship, but an expensive compromise.
Maybe in the future the tech it pioneered will be used for future phones, but right now I can’t see why anyone would want it. It’s light yes, but still huge.
I’m amazed Apple thought it would be anything but this result.
With most of the weight at the top that wouldn’t be very comfortable to hold.