iPhone 17 Reason for Apple poor Air sales and people’s dislike of Pro camera bar

[gadget123]

They sold us same phone for years small updates now people either dislike the lack of cameras or they dislike the Pro camera bar. They release the same phone every year so my question is has the smart phone market matured like smart TV’s? Do we need a switch to an 18 month cycle like IPad? I think people like familiar phones and dislike these redesign changes

And the way Apple have ditched this is worrying Vision Pro got the update despite low sales. Apple TV doesn’t get yearly updates now either.

I wonder if the fold will be a poor investment and could get cancelled too? Perhaps Apple will go back to “one single release” iPhone Pro every September but with small updates?

 

[JPack]

People love Pro/Max because it was a new form factor. It has appreciable advantages to battery, camera, and performance. That's why it's selling wildly.

Air basically tried to solve a problem that didn't exist for the vast majority of people. That's why it's not selling.

 

[T5BRICK]

Most people don’t upgrade every year regardless of what Apple does. I’m comfortable going 2 or 3 years between upgrades. My dad is still using an iPhone 11, and my mom will be using an iPhone 14 Pro for another year.

As for single camera vs camera bar, I prefer the flexibility of multiple cameras, and battery life is important to me. The 17 Pro Max was the best choice.

 

[bill-p]

I think people like familiar phones and dislike these redesign changes

No. It's clear the vast majority of Apple's users are addicted to their phones and will run any phone's battery to the ground within a short amount of time plus push their phones to max thermal limits all the time. So most of them seem to need the most battery and the most amount of cooling in a phone possible.

The fact that 17 Pro Max sold better than 16 Pro Max proves as much.

Design doesn't matter anymore. We will continue to get very ugly, thick and heavy phones now since that's literally what the market is asking for.

 

[AL2TEACH]

Whew, I'm still happily using an 11 .

 

[JPack]

No. It's clear the vast majority of Apple's users are addicted to their phones and will run any phone's battery to the ground within a short amount of time plus push their phones to max thermal limits all the time. So most of them seem to need the most battery and the most amount of cooling in a phone possible.

The fact that 17 Pro Max sold better than 16 Pro Max proves as much.

Design doesn't matter anymore. We will continue to get very ugly, thick and heavy phones now since that's literally what the market is asking for.

Nah, most people simply prefer not to live on the edge in terms of battery life or camera.

Forget to charge at night? You might be screwed the next day. Want to take an ultrawide or macro? Can't do it.

 

[ThrowerGB]

No. It's clear the vast majority of Apple's users are addicted to their phones and will run any phone's battery to the ground within a short amount of time plus push their phones to max thermal limits all the time. So most of them seem to need the most battery and the most amount of cooling in a phone possible.

The fact that 17 Pro Max sold better than 16 Pro Max proves as much.

Design doesn't matter anymore. We will continue to get very ugly, thick and heavy phones now since that's literally what the market is asking for.

Too often I see comments like "very ugly, thick and heavy phones". There are many iPhone users in the world, Apple has so many customers for iPhone that they can afford to make different models which appeal to different users. I personally appreciate that. I've reached the age where I have a problem reading the text on my iPhone 11 Pro Max. I'm thinking of buying the iPhone 17 Pro Max because with a bigger screen I'll be better able to read what's on the screen. And I also use just under 200 GB of the 256GB in mine. I do that because I like to have a lot of things immediately available. And I like the opportunity to take better photos with the new camera system. Yes the 17 Pro Max is bigger and heavier. You might think it's ugly, but there are enough of us who will buy it that Apple will make it for us. However I do agree with you, I would like it better if it wasn't so heavy.

 

[Tsepz]

They sold us same phone for years small updates now people either dislike the lack of cameras or they dislike the Pro camera bar. They release the same phone every year so my question is has the smart phone market matured like smart TV’s? Do we need a switch to an 18 month cycle like IPad? I think people like familiar phones and dislike these redesign changes

And the way Apple have ditched this is worrying Vision Pro got the update despite low sales. Apple TV doesn’t get yearly updates now either.

I wonder if the fold will be a poor investment and could get cancelled too? Perhaps Apple will go back to “one single release” iPhone Pro every September but with small updates?

17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are flying off the shelves so it seems people don’t mind the camera plateau at all! 😁

Nah, most people simply prefer not to live on the edge in terms of battery life or camera.

Forget to charge at night? You might be screwed the next day. Want to take an ultrawide or macro? Can't do it.

Exactly this.

Too often I see comments like "very ugly, thick and heavy phones". There are many iPhone users in the world, Apple has so many customers for iPhone that they can afford to make different models which appeal to different users. I personally appreciate that. I've reached the age where I have a problem reading the text on my iPhone 11 Pro Max. I'm thinking of buying the iPhone 17 Pro Max because with a bigger screen I'll be better able to read what's on the screen. And I also use just under 200 GB of the 256GB in mine. I do that because I like to have a lot of things immediately available. And I like the opportunity to take better photos with the new camera system. Yes the 17 Pro Max is bigger and heavier. You might think it's ugly, but there are enough of us who will buy it that Apple will make it for us. However I do agree with you, I would like it better if it wasn't so heavy.

Treat yourself to that 17 Pro Max.😃
You can get a nice slim case, it’s a pretty well balanced phone, not as heavy as the 13 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max.

Absolutely loving the way my 17 PM feels in hand.

 

[jntdroid]

With the right case, the 17P (and max) don’t wobble on a table thanks to that bar. Not a huge deal but kind of nice.

And yes smartphones have matured, similar to cars. They’ve been commoditized. They’re a “necessary” part of life for most people, and OEMs are stuck in a yearly release cycle. So you get iterative updates each year - with some years garnering more hype than others - but with most people simply not needing to change very often.

 

[ayephoner]

I think 5 models per year is just too many, especially with all of them having nearly the same footprint and very similar functionality.

In my humble opinion, they should drop the 'regular' model, drop the mini/plus/air model, and make the 'e' model a bit smaller, thinner, and less expensive (or brand this as the regular model).

Many were hoping the 16e would be smaller, the size of the X maybe. Put two cameras on it (like the regular model), make it thin, but not too thin so that it has decent battery life, and it would sell well. The problem is that the air, e, and regular models cannibalize each others' markets.

I think the fold might do okay, as it is such a unique form factor. It will almost certainly be the nicest iphone in every regard (maybe save one or two), so it will probably dip into pro/max sales a bit, but I think it will do fine.

 

[bsmr]

I think 5 models per year is just too many, especially with all of them having nearly the same footprint and very similar functionality.

True... Just kill the base 17 - we don't need it.

 

[JPack]

I think 5 models per year is just too many, especially with all of them having nearly the same footprint and very similar functionality.

In my humble opinion, they should drop the 'regular' model, drop the mini/plus/air model, and make the 'e' model a bit smaller, thinner, and less expensive (or brand this as the regular model).

Many were hoping the 16e would be smaller, the size of the X maybe. Put two cameras on it (like the regular model), make it thin, but not too thin so that it has decent battery life, and it would sell well. The problem is that the air, e, and regular models cannibalize each others' markets.

I think the fold might do okay, as it is such a unique form factor. It will almost certainly be the nicest iphone in every regard (maybe save one or two), so it will probably dip into pro/max sales a bit, but I think it will do fine.

Humble indeed.

The regular 17 model is still widely out of stock globally today. We're nearly two months after iPhone 17 launch. The iPhone 16e has the same display size as iPhone XR and 11, which were undisputed global best sellers.

 

[ayephoner]

Humble indeed.

The regular 17 model is still widely out of stock globally today. We're nearly two months after iPhone 17 launch. The iPhone 16e has the same display size as iPhone XR and 11, which were undisputed global best sellers.

Well, you completely missed my point...

I'm saying the Air, Regular, and 'e' are competing against each other. I'm not saying that all of them are poor sellers, quite the opposite. I'm saying the market doesn't need all 3 of them, clearly shown by the poor sales of the Air.

The regular is a great device, with great sales. But it's just too close to a pro at this point to justify it's existence. I think these 3 models could easily be merged into one.

 

[JPack]

Well, you completely missed my point...

I'm saying the Air, Regular, and 'e' are competing against each other. I'm not saying that all of them are poor sellers, quite the opposite. I'm saying the market doesn't need all 3 of them, clearly shown by the poor sales of the Air.

The regular is a great device, with great sales. But it's just too close to a pro at this point to justify it's existence. I think these 3 models could easily be merged into one.

No, I would disagree.

Air solves a problem that never existed - thinness.
16e is $200 less than 17 and suitable for those who don’t need camera or storage.
Base 17 is great for mainstream users. It’s $300 less than Pro and not close in features.

Delete the Air and everything is fine.

 

[bsmr]

The regular is a great device, with great sales. But it's just too close to a pro at this point to justify it's existence. I think these 3 models could easily be merged into one.

They should stop producing the base model. And everyone would be happy