The Fold actually offers something in exchange for the compromises. The Air is just thinner and lighter.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The Fold actually offers something in exchange for the compromises. The Air is just thinner and lighter.
The Air is a test run for iPhone fold.
I love my Air. I don't feel like the compromises affect me in any meaningful way. There's no way I'll be able to afford a fold phone, so if the Air doesn't return, I'll just go with the base phone next time.
iPhone Air buyers, users and lovers ..
Don't let them trash you.
-iPhone Mini user and lover
Don't let them trash you.
-iPhone Mini user and lover
Whatever it offers it'll be in exchange for the compromises plus an extra $1,000
Let's all celebrate the inevitable demise of anything different! One use case for everyone.
I got the air, got the clear apple case (like i normally do) and it feels fantastic in hand. I dont like pros cause of the weight and to me they just feel like people with fomo get em just cause. I normally got the base model each year and it was more than enough, but the air looked really good. My old 15 looks like a brick in comparison. Also, I like pretty things and nice user experiences more than numbers on a spec sheet
Me too, love the air. I havent been impressed with foldable phones in general, but if apple makes one that entices me, id have to really think about if its worth the huge price tag (probably not, 2k+ for a phone sounds insane to me)
What's the point of having AI write your comments? The point of comments is to express your thoughts on an issue in your own words. This is an interpretation by an algorithm that required as much energy to prompt as it would to type your unfiltered comment here except we all know this is not what you actually think because you are playing the telephone game with a computer.
I feel like they could have figured out how to add a second camera and a second bottom-firing speaker and potentially match the thickness of the Galaxy S25 Edge (which is thin enough), but instead either got caught up in one-upping Samsung at thinness or decided to keep the second camera and second speaker for the second-gen Air to entice people to upgrade. Apple always sprinkles features like this even when the tech was always available (see the triangle camera array slooooowly going to 48mp for example). This time it looks like it backfired and I couldn't be prouder of the people voting with their wallets against it.
I knew the Air would flop because of how the positioned it. They didn’t give us a single compelling reason why it exists. The Air should have been a one more thing moment, but they completely missed the mark. Instead of showing us how the iPhone Air makes using an iPhone better, they introduced it and then immediately pivoted to talking about a battery pack. What does that tell customers? Apple doesn’t have confidence in the device, and it's likely just a vehicle to sell overpriced accessories with high margins.
They split professional and luxury into two phones this year, which makes sense, but they're still presenting them like fast food restaurants do with their fries small, medium, large. Instead of being the luxury model its the bean counter model. Maybe it’s the pre recorded polished infomercial format that sucks the excitement out of these events and thats why Apple can’t position new products anymore.
They split professional and luxury into two phones this year, which makes sense, but they're still presenting them like fast food restaurants do with their fries small, medium, large. Instead of being the luxury model its the bean counter model. Maybe it’s the pre recorded polished infomercial format that sucks the excitement out of these events and thats why Apple can’t position new products anymore.
I was at the Apple Store yesterday, and nobody was paying any attention to the Airs. It was all about the Pros.
F'real?
People weren't even picking them up and holding them in hand and playing with them out of curiosity?
(surprising to me)
The original MacBook Air didn't sell all that well either. It was too expensive.
The original iPad Air was also an awkward middle child with an unclear market.
You can't make huge conclusions over slightly off sales figures, especially for a 1st-gen product. If they really are doing a foldable next year, the iPhone market is about to get a huge shakeup anyway. The Air is the most significant new release since the X, and it doesn't depend on selling like hotcakes for its significance.
The original iPad Air was also an awkward middle child with an unclear market.
You can't make huge conclusions over slightly off sales figures, especially for a 1st-gen product. If they really are doing a foldable next year, the iPhone market is about to get a huge shakeup anyway. The Air is the most significant new release since the X, and it doesn't depend on selling like hotcakes for its significance.
Now I have this sudden urge to stop into my local Apple Store just to fiddle with an Air, even though I'm not actually in the market at the moment. 😁
I don't advocate for any brand.
Yet it seems that one reason the Air suffers is due to its competition, the dual camera, dual speaker equipped Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
Lighter, cooler running, offering a larger display and a much larger battery it’s an amazing phone. I've been using mine since it was released and it’s delivered on all fronts.
Yet having a preference for iOS, I went into the Apple Store to buy an Air for my other line, only to be put off by its horrible single speaker. I also found the camera plateau uncomfortable and have no desire to use a case to smooth out the back. That's not a criticism, just my experience.
iPhone Air is a beautiful phone, just hampered by Apples obsession to cut manufacturing costs by leaving out a higher capacity battery, dual cameras and dual speakers.
I'm holding out, if Apple corrects these shortcomings on the next version I'm a buyer. I'd like nothing better than a full featured iPhone Air.
The iPhone Air is running into the same problem that plagued the iPhone 12 mini: not enough battery life per charge. That's why I really hope the next model iPhone Air will get a 4,000 mAh battery pack to address the battery issue.
I have the Air and love it, honestly don't know if I could ever go back to the pro options. It's hilariously thin and light, much more so than I thought it was going to be. And I notice it every single time I pick it up, even though I've had it a few weeks now. Sounds weird, but it's not just a phone - it's an experience. And just feels like it's an inevitable flagship form-factor moving forward.
Next time I'm near an Apple Store (a couple months away) I will for sure be doing that, just out of curiosity.
(it's way too tall and wide for me, an SE1 & 13 Mini user, anyhow)
Last month at a company meeting there was a member with a 13 mini. When I held it in my hand it felt simply so damn right! I've also seen lots of new Pros but not a single Air on that meeting. My own 12 Pro was considered "a classic" though! 🤣
If there is a 2nd gen Air (rather than just going to the Fold) I will be interested to see whether Apple follows the previous "4th model" approach of making no changes, or whether the second camera / speaker and other extra features are added.
The mini was a catastrophic failure from a sales perspective, which is why it only lasted 2 years before being discontinued.