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

[jmpage2]

Well just minutes after writing all of that I ordered the Air since AT&T is giving me stupid big money for my busted screen iPhone 14 Pro and I figure I can play with the new phone for a week vs. a few minutes in the store and return it if I'm not impressed with it.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Same negativity about the 16e when it came out awhile back.

Exactly. "This device is not what I want, so it's a stupid move by Apple and no one else will like it and it'll be a failure!" Really glad these MR peanut gallery members don't work at Apple.

 

[jmpage2]

I don’t get the appeal of this phone, too each his own but I think this will go down like the iPhone mini

It's more like iPhone X where that only made up about 20% of iPhone sales the 12 months after it was launched but then the entire product family turned into the iPhone X.

It seems that this is the new design language of the iPhone and the entire line is going to move in this direction as the technology improves.

Apple has a 20th anniversary iPhone in the works that has the internal code name "Glasswing", and if you don't think that is going to evolve from what we are seeing now you are fooling yourself.

There will be bifurcation between practical high performance but slim "single pane of glass" devices and large prosumer type devices packed with cameras, advanced cooling solutions, etc. that are geared for the video people, the gamer people and the people that are on their phone 20 hours a day.

 

[Knowimagination]

I don’t think anyone really asked for/wanted an Air, if the store is any indication. Every Air model is still 9/19 delivery as if 3.5 hours since orders started.

By that logic no one wanted the iphone 17 or iphone 17 Pro either. The only model with consistent delivery delays so far is the pro max which may just be due to lower quantity for all we know.

 

[vvvvvv]

Exactly. "This device is not what I want, so it's a stupid move by Apple and no one else will like it and it'll be a failure!" Really glad these MR peanut gallery members don't work at Apple.

"Apple is boring now, they don't innovate"
> iPhone Air
"Yea but not that kind of innovation, because it's not what I want"

 

[Garethe86]

It's more like iPhone X where that only made up about 20% of iPhone sales the 12 months after it was launched but then the entire product family turned into the iPhone X.

It seems that this is the new design language of the iPhone and the entire line is going to move in this direction as the technology improves.

Apple has a 20th anniversary iPhone in the works that has the internal code name "Glasswing", and if you don't think that is going to evolve from what we are seeing now you are fooling yourself.

There will be bifurcation between practical high performance but slim "single pane of glass" devices and large prosumer type devices packed with cameras, advanced cooling solutions, etc. that are geared for the video people, the gamer people and the people that are on their phone 20 hours a day.

Years ago there were a few renders of what an all glass phone might look like and WOW, I would have bought it on the spot based on appearance alone.

 

[Garethe86]

"Apple is boring now, they don't innovate"
> iPhone Air
"Yea but not that kind of innovation, because it's not what I want"

Oh I know, this bothers me too, the tech bloggers I'm sure are lining up their critique videos after spouting "lack of innovation" for the last few years.

 

[Jeremy3292]

How do you know it’s only stripping out parts?
There are no parts that had to be redesigned to be smaller, more efficient?
Nothing had to change to reduce heat?
It’s not a Big Mac where you just omit the tomatoes.
Maybe we just have different ideas about what is hard.

The argument was difficulty. It's not difficult. It's not groundbreaking. It's a stripped down phone with a thinner battery, hence the thinness, and then removed 2 large cameras from the plateau to have room for the other parts.

I'm sure they did some work but I doubt this was anywhere near "difficult" for Apple engineers. Agree to disagree but when you remove big parts you have more room for other things...it's just common sense to me.

 

[gifttagpirate]

I see the Air as being a bigger screen with less weight but with similar processor. to the Pro. The downside is camera, speaker, etc. I don't see the battery as a downside because it's the same as the current Pro phone and better than all phones up to a year or two ago. So the debate versus 17 or Pro is screen and camera and power and weight, each having different strengths. But the Air makes sense to me as a big screen sweet spot for people who don't miss the camera.

 

[geta]

There is nothing elegant or aesthetic about the Air and its camera hump.

 

[Joseph C]

There is nothing elegant or aesthetic about the Air and its camera hump.

That's a lovely opinion you have there.

The iPhone Air is the most beautiful iPhone since iPhone X - and that's my opinion.

 

[applefella]

Hard agree with @geta ...

I think the iPhone Air does have some interesting and decent things about it. One camera simplifies things quite nicely. I find that really appealing. I don't like the 500 cameras that most phones feature these days.

But form factor is important. I hate camera bumps and they need to disappear. Not only are they unsightly, they're extremely unergonomic—especially when gaming. I hate that I can't lay my devices flat on any surface.

I get that cases exist, but I hate hate hate hate hate not being able to lay a device flat. It is such a problem all the time. I thought this would have been solved by now. Even with an Apple clear case, it still lays at an odd angle. My wallet is not always attached to my phone for various reasons (charging with magsafe, playing with a video game controller), and the camera bump always gets in the way.

 

[JPack]

It's more like iPhone X where that only made up about 20% of iPhone sales the 12 months after it was launched but then the entire product family turned into the iPhone X.

There were huge global availability issues with iPhone X. It also depends what your definition of “iPhone X” is. It evolved into today’s iPhone 17 Pro. Apple added a regular, non-iPhone X product line, which grew from iPhone XR and today is iPhone 17.

It seems that this is the new design language of the iPhone and the entire line is going to move in this direction as the technology improves.

Apple has a 20th anniversary iPhone in the works that has the internal code name "Glasswing", and if you don't think that is going to evolve from what we are seeing now you are fooling yourself.

There will be bifurcation between practical high performance but slim "single pane of glass" devices and large prosumer type devices packed with cameras, advanced cooling solutions, etc. that are geared for the video people, the gamer people and the people that are on their phone 20 hours a day.

I would disagree. iPhone Air is about thinnest at all costs. Unless some radical technology comes up, it’ll be nearly impossible to add another camera (front or back). iPhone is being split into three or four families in the future if you include e lineup.

 

[jmpage2]

The argument was difficulty. It's not difficult. It's not groundbreaking. It's a stripped down phone with a thinner battery, hence the thinness, and then removed 2 large cameras from the plateau to have room for the other parts.

I'm sure they did some work but I doubt this was anywhere near "difficult" for Apple engineers. Agree to disagree but when you remove big parts you have more room for other things...it's just common sense to me.

I'm sure the product engineers who labored for over a year to design the component packaging for the new iPhone Air would have some choice words for you about "It's not difficult".

 

[Joseph C]

I'm pretty sure iPhone Air is going to be a sleeper hit.

The pre-orders will majority be iPhone Pro users who default to "the most powerful" but I think when the iPhone Air is out in the wild, people see their friends', or try them in store, a lot of people are going to want it.

 

[jmpage2]

I'm pretty sure iPhone Air is going to be a sleeper hit.

The pre-orders will majority be iPhone Pro users who default to "the most powerful" but I think when the iPhone Air is out in the wild, people see their friends', or try them in store, a lot of people are going to want it.

It has a lot of compromises.

A lot.

It would have been nice to see Apple close the gap but this is likely an intentional decision to keep this product more niche and test the waters with an expensive to manufacture device.

 

[kp98077]

Correction, the sensor in the Air is the same smaller sensor found in the regular iPhone. It has the same number of pixels as the sensor in the pro but it is smaller which means it will perform worse in low light conditions which is why Apple did not show off night mode photos from the Air.

The Air has a single fixed 1x 28mm camera lens as that is the focal length that most people regularly use. Then it can do some cropping to take 2x photos that are not digitally manipulated.

Higher zoom levels are available through digital zoom and AI enhancement.

It cannot do macro photos which people use a lot.

It is unknown how it is going to do with things like reading barcodes, QR codes, etc. although I imagine Apple will put quite a lot of work into the algorithms that handle these things so that it performs well.

For reference purposes both the Samsung Edge and the regular iPhone 17 have an ultra wide lens and it's a bit of a mystery to me why both an ultra wide camera and stereo speakers weren't included on the Air.... I guess those are things Apple can add over the next refresh or two to make the Air more appealing.

The Air feels very similar to the launch of the iPhone X. A phone I was so excited about that I waited in the freezing cold in line overnight to buy it.

In hindsight the first generation of any brand new Apple product tends to have a lot of compromises and this one will be no different.

On the other hand if you find the heft of iPhone Pro annoying (I do) then it might be a nice upgrade.

I am personally somewhat tortured on this decision. I think I'd like the Air quite a lot in day to day use but have severe disappointment every time I wanted to do something with the missing cameras it doesn't have or am struggling to get a full day's battery use when I have to be on a bunch of video conference calls while traveling.

I want a bigger screen than what is on my iPhone 14 Pro but there's no way I will be able to comfortably pocket the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The iPhone 17 Pro probably does everything I need but I am settling for a slightly smaller screen and am still carrying a big brick of a phone in my pocket every day.

I really wish Apple had been able to make the device just a little bit more appealing for those of us who don't game or do lots of video with our phones but would really appreciate more of the basic feature set the regular iPhone has been delivering for years.

Does no macro = crappy photos? Probably sadly!!!!!

 

[Joseph C]

It has a lot of compromises.

A lot.

It would have been nice to see Apple close the gap but this is likely an intentional decision to keep this product more niche and test the waters with an expensive to manufacture device.

I really don't think the compromises it has are that bad - at least for me.

- The 48MP camera it has is an incredible camera, and you get the 2x Telephoto.
- Most people can live without RAW and Prores video, and macro photography.
- The single speaker is likely more than sufficient for loudspeaker calls and casual video watching.
- The battery life is the same as iPhone 16 Pro, which was itself the best ever battery on a non Pro Max phone last year.
- The optional MagSafe accessory is pocketable and extends the battery life to exceed the 17 Pro Max.

You get:

- the thinnest and most Steve Jobs like iPhone since iPhone X
- the only available iPhone with a premium material in polished titanium
- ProMotion 120Hz, brightest ever iPhone screen, Always On Display
- the same top-end Pro chip as the Pro series (with a binned core but I'd argue negligible)
- 12GB of RAM, just like the Pro series

It's a premium device. The compromises are minimal, and I'm someone who is very picky about stuff like this.

That being said, I reserve the right to change my mind on the camera and battery, when I get the device and try it out.

If it's immediately obvious I miss it, I'll exchange straight away. If I miss it over the coming months, my carrier lets me swap, no questions asked, every 90 days.

 

[JPack]

I'm pretty sure iPhone Air is going to be a sleeper hit.

The pre-orders will majority be iPhone Pro users who default to "the most powerful" but I think when the iPhone Air is out in the wild, people see their friends', or try them in store, a lot of people are going to want it.

It's more likely the other way around. Decent number of pre-orders by enthusiasts and "geeks" willing to try the newest thing.

Regular consumers will go for the reliable options, meaning base model or tried and true Pro/Max. The sticking point with Air is the camera and battery life. Apple has spent years teaching customers more is better.

 

[dca100]

It has a lot of compromises.

A lot.

It would have been nice to see Apple close the gap but this is likely an intentional decision to keep this product more niche and test the waters with an expensive to manufacture device.

None of them matter to me. I've just ordered an Air rather than a base 17 Pro, both of which are available to me through work. I'm coming from a 15 Pro (and a 13 Pro Max before that)

• Speakers: none issue for me. I never listen to music or movies through the phone speakers. That's what my Sonos Roam and AirPods Pro are for. Might it make a difference on Google Meet calls? Maybe, in which case I'll be using those AirPods Pro a little more.
• Battery: my 15 Pro has terrible battery life. The Air is an improvement. Sure not up there with the Pro but I can live with that. I'd be unlikely to go anywhere without a slim power pack in any event.
• Camera: I have no doubt that the Pro cameras are awesome, but I reckon the Air will be totally good enough for my needs. I didn't notice much difference between the 13 Pro and 15 Pro. The front camera on the Air is the same as the Pro.

The weight and thickness of the Pros have become unnacceptable compromises... for me.
The combination of thinness, lightness and beautiful Pro Motion screen make the Air ideal.. for me.
Slim for the Win! But that's just me

 

[ab2c4]

I don't know if I will ever get an Air but I am a big fan of it, just not sure if I want a phone that big. My question is, and I think it will take people using the Air a few weeks to know, but:

With the flat sides and sharp edges of current phones, and with how thin the Air is, will those thin sides ultimately press into your hand uncomfortably? The thicker the sides are the less it presses into your hand but it still presses in, so the thinner the sides are would that possibly cause a comfort problem holding it?

Just something I was thinking about. I hope the answer to my question is "no". I'm looking forward to seeing the Air in person next weekend hopefully at the store.

 

[LionTeeth]

I've just pre-ordered an iPhone Air. For the following reasons.

First, as soon as I saw it, I fell in love. Here is Apple returning to its roots as a maker of beautiful things.

Second, the screen size is larger than my iPhone 16, yet the weight is not. That's a clear win.

Third, on most days, the battery life will be solid. On those days where I need something more, I have the custom-designed MagSafe battery pack to give me as much power as I could possibly need.

I used to be a Pro Max guy. But I actually downgraded from the 16 Pro Max to the regular 16. The reason? Weight. I'm old and I was getting recurring and persistent finger pain from supporting the weight of the Pro Max. That pain went away after the downgrade.

I also realized that I don't need the Pro features. The 16 has been my favorite iPhone ever. And I really had no plans to change it. Until I saw the Air.

I also have an 13 mini, which I absolutely love. It's the phone I use when I leave the house. It's so light and small it fits anywhere without discomfort or awkwardness. The Air will mostly be for home use. Doomscrolling on the sofa. And I'll be able to doomscroll more in a single viewing. Can't wait.

I went to a regular size as well partially due to weight. My old Xs max plus huge case would literally irritate my tendinitis in my forearms sometimes. After a couple days it would be excruciating. Thankfully the regular sized phone that has disappeared

 

[Qu1ckset]

It's more likely the other way around. Decent number of pre-orders by enthusiasts and "geeks" willing to try the newest thing.

Regular consumers will go for the reliable options, meaning base model or tried and true Pro/Max. The sticking point with Air is the camera and battery life. Apple has spent years teaching customers more is better.

Most regular people don’t preorder phones or watch these events once these are seen in store or in the wild I’m sure sales will pickup!

I also am waiting to see in person before I decide on purchasing!

 

[Qu1ckset]

None of them matter to me. I've just ordered an Air rather than a base 17 Pro, both of which are available to me through work. I'm coming from a 15 Pro (and a 13 Pro Max before that)

• Speakers: none issue for me. I never listen to music or movies through the phone speakers. That's what my Sonos Roam and AirPods Pro are for. Might it make a difference on Google Meet calls? Maybe, in which case I'll be using those AirPods Pro a little more.
• Battery: my 15 Pro has terrible battery life. The Air is an improvement. Sure not up there with the Pro but I can live with that. I'd be unlikely to go anywhere without a slim power pack in any event.
• Camera: I have no doubt that the Pro cameras are awesome, but I reckon the Air will be totally good enough for my needs. I didn't notice much difference between the 13 Pro and 15 Pro. The front camera on the Air is the same as the Pro.

The weight and thickness of the Pros have become unnacceptable compromises... for me.
The combination of thinness, lightness and beautiful Pro Motion screen make the Air ideal.. for me.
Slim for the Win! But that's just me

Is your battery shot or something ? 15pro battery is awesome!

 

[Rooskibar03]

From the moment I opened the box on my 13" iPad Pro I thought, man it would be awesome to have a phone this thin. Now is the time. My wife is the picture taker of the family so she gets the Pro.