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Report: Apple Considers Adding Second Camera to Delayed iPhone Air 2
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Here's the thing from my perspective: The point of the Air is to be incredibly thin and amazing looking, but it has a gigantic camera bump like all the other phones. It's sort of like a stunningly beautiful person but with a gigantic nose.
I would not have purchased the iPhone Air if it had an old camera. How many times must it be stated in this forum that the Air is a Pro with one camera (same main camera, same processor, same memory)? The bump doesn’t detract from pocket fit or feel in the hand (you don’t hold it by the bump). Most people (not just the elderly) use the main camera most of the time. Search your Mac Photos library by lens and break down the percentages.
Probably not - Apple likely knows a lot of people want wide/telephoto as their two cameras, but locks the telephoto to the Pro models. The telephoto camera, is the only reason I'd consider a Pro over a base iPhone. But (for me) it's not worth the £300 price increase.
Thinner/lighter/"new" often carries a premium price. Remember when the MacBook Air launched, it was a terrible laptop: slow processor, low storage, reduced batter life, but commanded a much higher price than other Macs of the day as Apple figured a certain set of users valued low weight & thin form factor.
Apple will always price what they thinkthey can get away with: iPhone X increased price from £749 to £999; iPhone Pro Max introduced/increased to £1199; iPad Pro price has increased from £599 to £799 to £999 over the years - all of these have resulted in minimal complaints and robust sales, so it's no surprise Apple would go forthe £999 price point for the Air to see if it sticks. The real question is whether they will admit defeat and lower the official price this year. Probably not, but you will likely see lots of deals/reduced prices from 3rd party retailers (which I believe is Apple's way of discounting prices without discounting them themselves overtly).
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It is just embarrassing that Apple wasn’t able to launch the Air with two cameras in the first place.
Samsung did it…
Same goes for the speakers.
Dual speakers, dual cameras and silicon-carbide battery and there would not be as many compromises as there are now.
999$ is a joke for the kind of hardware we have on the Air now, not to mention the MRSP of 1200€ (!!!) here in Germany. It quickly dipped to around 900€ after release.
Samsung did it…
Same goes for the speakers.
Dual speakers, dual cameras and silicon-carbide battery and there would not be as many compromises as there are now.
999$ is a joke for the kind of hardware we have on the Air now, not to mention the MRSP of 1200€ (!!!) here in Germany. It quickly dipped to around 900€ after release.
It's right up there with the 5S and the mini as my favorite iPhones ever. I honestly think it was a marketing flop more than a product flop. This includes the price which, yes, probably should have been lower. People who like a form-over-function device seem largely fine with every sacrifice they made, except the battery life being worse than the base iPhone which is indeed a tough pill to swallow. If they gave this thing a silicon carbon battery, priced it to $899, and advertised better, I think it would have had way more success. The number of times I've been holding it and been asked what kind of phone it is anecdotally proves my point. People don't even know it exists! Everyone knows the triple-camera pro. The orange color especially made a big splash and the ads for it are everywhere. It's a big flop in my opinion for the biggest redesign since the X to not have more marketing push behind it. Give it a special table at the store, at least. I will say... The fact that it's arguably the most durable iPhone ever made is absolutely incredible.
Oh I totally agree, the best camera is the one you have on you, and smart phones do a reasonable job (usually, except low light) and I also agree to get any improvement with a 'real' camera you have to shell out some bucks because the compact market has been largely destroyed with the advent of smartphones. And let's not forget in Art the book can get thrown out, for example there were art exhibits of polaroid shots which were abysmal cameras systems with only one advantage 'instant pictures.'
But, there are still some of us that when the shot really counts, will use a 'real camera' and hence don't too excited about the spec wars people go on about with phone cameras. The disadvantages you list.. eh.. so? the advantage is better shots. if you want them, you will get them.
BUT, the reason I replied to your original post was I found it ironic in the same post you said (paraphrasing here) if you want a macro shot get a real camera but then you didn't apply the same logic to other shooting conditions where you essentially said phone cameras did poorly. Or did I misunderstand you?
edit: I think I misunderstood you, lol... by main camera you meant on the phone. for me my 'main camera' is a Sony A7 RV. Sorry.
Samsung cancelled their Thin Phone and Apple 🍎 will likely do the same if the Air 2 doesn’t do well sales wise.
It is? Show me the iPhone Plus link? It doesn’t exist anymore. The air is a trial for the new designed iPhone that will replace the current base product. We just saw this with laptops.
My personal opinion is the Air is the future and gen 1 is just working out market kinks. Gen 2 will be the one to buy.
With all sincere respect (as one of these "old age people you reference) I truly don't get your point. I, for one, did not buy it because I had no interest in photos. I truly have no idea what you are talking about.
Have you used one? I cannot explain how it feels until you use it for a week then pickup any other iPhone, they will feel like bricks compared to the Air.
I'm not talking about feel, I'm talking about miniaturization.
From what I can see on schematics, nothing really got shrunken so much as moved around and a smaller battery was included.
Always a problem with pricing a new piece of technology. Only guess-work is available (including fancy focus groups and marketing group think). Best approach is to launch it and then fix it (price and feature content). Remember the first MacBook Air ? Same with the iPhone Air.
Absolutely. Feels thinner than it really is since the fingers actually touch the thinner part (the back). Sensation is of a thin phone plus the lighter weight adds to the impression.
1. Current price, for current offering = dumb.
2. [Somehow] adding a second camera = nonnegotiable.
3. Battery. I bet they're angel to eke out a bit more juice.
They address those three things, in that order, and I think v2 will prove way more popular.
That said, we all know Apple isn't budging on price. Specifically, they're not reducing price. Not quite sure how they'll fit another camera in that already jam-packed space, but maybe? The most likely thing I can see them addressing is battery. Matter of fact, I can see a v2 that improves battery/processor and that's it. They tend to try and get a cycle or two out fo their form factors. Maybe v3 adds another camera? At that point, with better processor/battery and another camera, that current price begins to make more sense. IMO, price was the death knell for v1. The thin/light/in-hand feel - while refreshingly impressive - wasn't enough [alone] to justify the compromises and price. Clearly.
I do hope they continue iterating on that form factor. For me, the Air is THE form factor I want in handheld. But ther his no way I could move from years of Pro devices to the compromises of an Air. Still, keep iterating. You never know...
2. [Somehow] adding a second camera = nonnegotiable.
3. Battery. I bet they're angel to eke out a bit more juice.
They address those three things, in that order, and I think v2 will prove way more popular.
That said, we all know Apple isn't budging on price. Specifically, they're not reducing price. Not quite sure how they'll fit another camera in that already jam-packed space, but maybe? The most likely thing I can see them addressing is battery. Matter of fact, I can see a v2 that improves battery/processor and that's it. They tend to try and get a cycle or two out fo their form factors. Maybe v3 adds another camera? At that point, with better processor/battery and another camera, that current price begins to make more sense. IMO, price was the death knell for v1. The thin/light/in-hand feel - while refreshingly impressive - wasn't enough [alone] to justify the compromises and price. Clearly.
I do hope they continue iterating on that form factor. For me, the Air is THE form factor I want in handheld. But ther his no way I could move from years of Pro devices to the compromises of an Air. Still, keep iterating. You never know...
I have the Air and am very happy with it. Neither a second camera nor a second speaker would get me to upgrade. What I want most is rounded sides. Secondly, while I really really really like the low weight of the Air for its size, I would still prefer a phone that is 5 ounces or less. I would be all for a 6.1" Air weighing 5 ounces.
This was the biggest reason I skipped the Air. I had several comments on how clear the pictures from my 11 Pro were. And I had a coworker who went from a Pro to base model (I forget which iPhone model) but she would say she missed having that extra zoom camera to get better details.
I may have taken the risk with 2 cameras but after watching comparison reviews, I didn't want to risk it. Maybe for my next iPhone. Right now, with my work, I'd like to make sure pictures look as good as can be.
I may have taken the risk with 2 cameras but after watching comparison reviews, I didn't want to risk it. Maybe for my next iPhone. Right now, with my work, I'd like to make sure pictures look as good as can be.
I love the Air and would be in for a second generation in a heartbeat.
In Germany you can get it for under 1000€ - the original price is 1199€. That’s a great deal and for this price the phone is perfect. Still a little more expensive than the base 17, but it looks and feels amazing.
In Germany you can get it for under 1000€ - the original price is 1199€. That’s a great deal and for this price the phone is perfect. Still a little more expensive than the base 17, but it looks and feels amazing.
Haha, true🙂 Indeed, I meant main camera on the iPhone, the notorious 24mm equiv or 26mm on some models. Can’t get used to call it “properly” as “wide”.
For me it is kind of a double edged sword: iPhones suck in terms of photos (often due to computational photography pipeline) but at the same time they are… irreplaceable currently. Indeed a modern paradox. I hope companies (not just Apple) realize majority of people are fine with imperfections like noise and just want a true to life image. But considering they all double down year after year, probably won’t happen in the near future.
But yeah, indeed. I would wish future iPhone iterations focus closer with wide angle camera without relying on UW crop, I believe they need to improve lens system to achieve that. After all, lens is 95% of any photo, the other 5 is a computer painted B&W image
Add the cameras, give it a bigger battery and call it the plus and they'll have a winning design.
I think they're demonstrably great, but not 💯 perfect, at knowing what the customer wants.