iPhone Air People Just Don’t Get the Point of the iPhone Air

[Andres Cantu]

It's the internet. Look (not hard) and you will find opposing views.

If you like the iPhone Air, all that matters is your own opinion about it, no one else's.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Not that I'm the audience for this anyway, but what kind of kills me is the camera bump.

You're giving up extra juice for this super slim phone, but you still have this giant bump on the back?

IMO, Apple should have fully committed to the design by using whatever webcam-quality camera sensor they could have squeezed in, without any extra space. Because either you're buying this for the aesthetics or you're not.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I remember hearing the same thing when the iPod mini came out (smaller iPod well before the nano). I was very excited to buy one. A friend of mine nearly lost his mind over what he thought was my very stupid purchase. After all, it was about the same price as the original iPod and held only 500 songs, compared to the original iPod's 1000 songs! Needless to say, I loved that device and they sold like hotcakes.

The iPod Mini ruled.

 

[Cyberguycpt]

I think the Air will do ok as well. I mean they got rid of the plus phone as a way to help nudge it alone. If the Plus was also released the Air would have not stood a chance. Imagine telling most customers walking into an Apple Store that they good get this thin & light phone and only need to give up a few things like screen size, battery, and speaker quality.

 

[zakarhino]

I'd like to get more information from the people that are obsessed with pointing out the camera bump is actually a lot thicker than the rest of the body... umm... ok? I'm not holding the iPhone at the camera bump though, so why is it a concern? The only two reasons I've seen so far include: 1) it's wonky when you're using the device on a table and 2) it doesn't sit flush in your pocket (why does this matter?)

Can someone explain to me what the big deal is? Are people actually suggesting the entire iPhone body be made substantially thicker just so the back is flat? It can't go the other direction (make the camera bump thinner) because you'd end up with a 2010 spec camera sensor and I can't imagine anyone wants that.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Not that I'm the audience for this anyway, but what kind of kills me is the camera bump.

You're giving up extra juice for this super slim phone, but you still have this giant bump on the back?

IMO, Apple should have fully committed to the design by using whatever webcam-quality camera sensor they could have squeezed in, without any extra space. Because either you're buying this for the aesthetics or you're not.

Did you even watch the event?
It’s barely a camera bump, the camera is just one component.
Pretty much everything except for the battery is shoved into the bump at the top of the phone.
It’s basically a reverse of what they have been doing with the iMac for decades, with that the entire computer is beneath the screen, with this the entire computer is in the camera bump.

 

[zakarhino]

Not that I'm the audience for this anyway, but what kind of kills me is the camera bump.

You're giving up extra juice for this super slim phone, but you still have this giant bump on the back?

IMO, Apple should have fully committed to the design by using whatever webcam-quality camera sensor they could have squeezed in, without any extra space. Because either you're buying this for the aesthetics or you're not.

It's a balancing act though, the current audience of people that would be ok with 2003 era quality is basically zero. There are no buyers that are purchasing based on aesthetics alone, if Apple wanted to make the thinnest mobile phone possible where thinness is the sole variable they're working toward they could probably make a phone with 1 hour of battery life, no retina display, and the processing power of a microwave -- but clearly nobody would buy that.

There is however a market for people that want the core iPhone experience in the thinnest and most elegant body possible. That's what the iPhone Air delivers on in my opinion. I'm really tempted by it and I typically always go with Pro Max. I get the appeal.

 

[zakarhino]

I just love this phone!
The only drawback for me is that the camera does not create .DNG files, otherwise I would order one today.

Do we know that for a fact though? Might be possible with third party apps like Halide?

 

[drugdoubles]

It’s not just about the weight, it’s also about the weight distribution, which is something a lot of people just refuse to keep in mind.
Yes, it’s only 5% lighter than the regular 17, but it is significantly wider and taller, meaning that in your hands, it will feel even more significantly lighter.
It’s the same reason a 5 LB MacBook Pro feels significantly lighter than a 5 LB weight, sure the actual measurement of weight is the same between both of them, but one of them is super condensed, and one of them is spread out across a massive surface.
Compared to an iPhone Pro Max, which is similar in dimensions, this thing will feel like a modern big screen iPod touch more than any big screen iPhone released within the past seven years.
Anyone who had an iPod touch back in the day will know exactly what I’m talking about, similar size dimensions to the iPhone of the time, but significantly thinner and lighter with those the same dimensions, and it was an absolutely different feel in the hand.
The fifth generation iPod touch and the iPhone 5 had the same screen size and pretty much the same height and width, but the iPhone 5 felt like a downright brick compared to the iPod touch, which felt so light it was almost more toy than tool, despite being essentially an iPhone with the phone stripped out.

iPod touch doesn’t have a thick camera that would screw up the weight distribution.

 

[drugdoubles]

Not sure what math you're using. It's 7.2% lighter. Not huge but significant.

My memory was inaccurate, but 7% is small comparing to how much it has cut which are at least one camera, 15% battery, one speaker comparing to 17 Base.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

iPod touch doesn’t have a thick camera that would screw up the weight distribution.

The iPod touch was literally the first Apple product with a camera bump, several years before the iPhone ever had one.

 

[Rradcircless]

I want the Air for the elegant gimmickry of it and I’m mature enough to admit that. I’m not going to trade my 16 for it, mind, I’ll use it where I feel the Air falls short.

 

[NotApplicable]

what I cannot stand is everyone say the Air is “innovative” or something “groundbreaking”

You’re arguing against an invisible opponent. I haven’t seen anyone who’s excited to buy an Air on these forums refer to it as groundbreaking or revolutionary. Only that it’s an excellent combination of features for their wants/needs and looks great too.

Yet there are seemingly hundreds of people like you yelling at the clouds about how you’re mad because the new iPhone isn’t revolutionary enough. Sorry this years’ keynote didn’t do anything for you down there, but that’s a you problem.

 

[fatTribble]

But what I cannot stand is everyone say the Air is “innovative” or something “groundbreaking”. They literally just stripped stuff out! It’s not hard to do at all. Take out two bulky cameras, put in a much thinner battery, take out mmWave from the connectivity chip, remove speakers, and suddenly we are being innovative?

I understand if someone thinks the idea of a thin phone is not innovative. Any of us could have proposed that idea.

To describe making a phone that thin and capable as “It’s not hard to do at all.” is hard to take seriously.

 

[stealthytolkien]

Lighter? It’s like 5% lighter than the base 17.

 

[someone33]

The reason people are mad about the Air is because they DO want it. But they're angry, addicted power users so they also want the battery life and cameras the Pros provide. This creates a conflict in them so instead of accepting that the Air is really cool and perfect for a lot of people that aren't power users, they have to find a reason to hate it instead to feel better about not having one.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Bigger issue about internet discourse in general, doesn’t seem like people can fathom that others have a different viewpoint or preference.

I, for one, love what the Air is offering. While 1 speaker is definitely a bummer, the compromised battery life is not an issue for me. I work from home and my phone sits on a charger while I’m working. Don’t really need to rely on battery power until after I’m done for the day or for weekends. Totally understand if the compromises don’t work for everyone though, it’s not a phone meant for everyone. Gotta get what works for you!

good post. I love the pro max battery when I travel, and probably not gonna get Air anytime soon. But I can see many who would buy, and it would sell whole lot more than forum favorite iPhone mini.

 

[azhava]

It's not my business what phone (or what 'anything else') others choose to own. I have my own opinions, for my own personal use cases, but I won't pretend they're the final word on a subject or apply them universally to everybody else.

The Air doesn't appeal to me, but I understand that it does appeal to many and it doesn't bother me in the least that it exists and is a choice. More choices is a good thing. Not everybody has the same wants/needs in a phone.

 

[4sallypat]

The reason people are mad about the Air is because they DO want it. But they're angry, addicted power users so they also want the battery life and cameras the Pros provide. This creates a conflict in them so instead of accepting that the Air is really cool and perfect for a lot of people that aren't power users, they have to find a reason to hate it instead to feel better about not having one.

Well stated and so true!

I can see the Air "haters" who try to find reasons for why they are still the Pro crowd.

I don't care about the power users and those that live on their phones 24/7.

I am a casual user for calls, texts, and email.

So waiting for ordering the 17 Air this Friday.

 

[bidwalj]

It’s not as good for consuming video given the lack of stereo speakers. But with headphones, this doesn’t matter. Mono speaker is one of the few drawbacks keeping me from buying… it’s nearly perfect.

The speaker part is the only thing I don’t like either. I don’t use the speaker other than speaker phone and the occasional reel or other social media short videos. I’m hoping it’s not too bad for my limited use. I don’t watch long movies or videos without headphones and mostly on my iPad Pro.

 

[drugdoubles]

The iPod touch was literally the first Apple product with a camera bump, several years before the iPhone ever had one.

It was nothing like a large camera with much larger sensor nowadays.

 

[cardfan]

A typical comment on social media and in many YouTube reviews goes: “Why would anyone pay $999 for an iPhone Air when it has worse specs than even the regular iPhone?”

Could you please finally understand that not every user cares about processor power or professional-grade cameras? Some people specifically want a light, thin, and elegant iPhone. Many iPhone users don’t play demanding games on their phone and only take simple point-and-shoot photos.

To be honest, it really annoys me how even on YouTube there seems to be some kind of baseline for what people are supposed to want from an iPhone. Just because someone like MKBHD prefers a giant phone with huge battery life and a Hollywood-level camera doesn’t mean everyone else should want the same thing.

I think iPhone Air is gonna sell like crazy!

I’m not sure why you care what others say. I got a Vision Pro. Doesn’t bother me to see most mocking it online.

That said I don’t see a reason to get iPhone air. It’s no more elegant than other iPhones. Pro ones look more appealing with better specs. Even for my kids the thinness is negated with a case. Or how it looks. Only the size and screen matter.

 

[con2apple]

Could you please finally understand that not every user cares about processor power or professional-grade cameras? Some people specifically want a light, thin, and elegant iPhone.

I understand immediately.

But the iPhone is neither thin nor elegant.
It has a almost 1.5 cm thick bump at the top.

 

[someone33]

I’m not sure why you care what others say. I got a Vision Pro. Doesn’t bother me to see most mocking it online.

That said I don’t see a reason to get iPhone air. It’s no more elegant than other iPhones. Pro ones look more appealing with better specs. Even for my kids the thinness is negated with a case. Or how it looks. Only the size and screen matter.

I mean as a Vision Pro owner (I own one too) you should be able to see the draw of having a thinner and lighter phone. You wouldn't want a lighter Vision Pro?

For me, I love technology that doesn't intrude on my comfort. The idea is for the device to disappear enough when using it to not notice any cumbersome aspect of it. My iPhone 13 Pro feels like a brick in my pocket and not that comfortable to use so I am excited to replace it with an Air.

 

[sleeptodream]

Not that I'm the audience for this anyway, but what kind of kills me is the camera bump.

You're giving up extra juice for this super slim phone, but you still have this giant bump on the back?

IMO, Apple should have fully committed to the design by using whatever webcam-quality camera sensor they could have squeezed in, without any extra space. Because either you're buying this for the aesthetics or you're not.

It’s no longer a camera bump, the processor and all of the internals are stored up there. That’s the brain of the phone