Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

[transpo1]

Whether it sells or not, it still benefits Apple:
1) It was R&D plus a supply chain stepping stone towards the Fold, which was needed.
2) The fact they launched a new product— the iPhone Air— drew attention to the whole lineup and got people curious, which is making them buy more phones.

Of course, they would prefer it sells well, but even if it doesn’t, Apple is winning.

 

[turbineseaplane]

the iPhone 17, which is $200 less and only 12 grams heavier.

I think this is the main issue 👆

It seems as though perhaps there are too many SKUs here (17, Air, 17 Pro) all crammed together.

The Air probably needs to be the same price as the 17 and you're choosing X or Y on feature tradeoffs, for the same price either way.

 

[ab2c4]

When the X came out it sold less than the 8 and 8 plus that first year. People are slow to make a change.

 

[ATmahe]

I went to an Apple store, held it in my hand, decided that the screen is way too big for my likings.
Also I would like to have the pro main camera and not the one of the normal iPhone 17.

So I'm still using my iPhone 15 Pro.
Thank you Apple, for saving me money

 

[turbineseaplane]

I went to an Apple store, held it in my hand, decided that the screen is way too big for my likings.
Also I would like to have the pro main camera and not the one of the normal iPhone 17.

So I'm still using my iPhone 15 Pro.
Thank you Apple, for saving me money

I wish Apple would just commit to a few screen classes in the lineup and be upfront about a 2-3 year refresh cycle on the less mainstream screen sizes (probably on the smaller size).

 

[Saturn1217]

With how big the regular iPhone has become (6.3"), the phablet size represents a small niche that's probably best served by the Pro Max. Because if you're interested in the largest possible display, you're most likely also interested in the best possible display, as well as cameras and battery life.

I think Apple came to the same conclusion, because the Plus wasn't selling so well.

The Pro Max is the best selling phone. The phablet size isn't a small niche. And many people are looking at the Air (really the ONLY reason to look at the Air over the regular 17) because they want a large screen without the weight of the Pro Max.

Apple gimped the battery life of the last plus model to make the Pros look better. If they had just let the Plus model be good like it was with the 14 plus when they introduced it, I don't think sales would have tanked so much. A 17 plus (with a 6.9" display, small bezels, 120hz display and better colors than the Pro offers) would have been very compelling for a lot of people. But Apple knows this would have cut into the margins of their Pro Max cash cow, so that's probably why we aren't seeing that.

 

[roblognick]

I went from an iPhone 15 Pro to an iPhone Air and I don't regret that decision at all. Arguably, a Pro phone is beyond my needs, but it's nice to have a camera with more functionality. This is really the only compromise I see that's significant. The single speaker doesn't sound bad, I honestly don't notice much of a difference. Especially as it's rare I even listen to anything on my phone through the speaker. I was worried about the battery life but so far it hasn't been an issue.

 

[ab2c4]

People want bigger battery, not smaller. :/

Disagree. People don't want a bigger battery, they want longer battery life. Many factors play a role in battery life. Look at the Air, smaller battery and yet the same battery life as the 15/16 Pro due to different hardware in the phone.

 

[RoadCyclistID]

Well I "guess" I am a minority. Had the 16PM and LOVE the feel and look of the air. Not sure why people are hating on it as most have complained that Apple has done nothing new over the last 5 or so versions. Then something different and bam all the haters come out again. Oh well, on the trade in program so only have to deal for 12 months.

 

[tomtad]

This is not the first time that people dont want a small and thin iPhone with SE and mini. Why Apple keep making same mistakes over and over again? Do they really think making iPhone Air with premium looking would solve the problem? Ha, nope.

The thing is the Air isn’t small. It’s bigger than the regular iPhone, and to be honest I found it quite unwieldy to hold with one hand. The regular iPhone feels more comfortable to hold personally.

 

[BigKahunaBurguer]

So we can confirm this is the last year of the Air.

 

[kyjaotkb]

1) they made the camera system the single biggest reason to upgrade, over a period of years - and they release this "flagship" with only one camera i.e. less capabilities than the standard model.
2) it's not really that thin. The "camera" plateau protrudes massively. The iPhone 6 was their thinnest phone, not the Air.
3) it's too large. What's the point of a thin phone if it's the larget than the standard phone, which is already huge.

Now, assuming the cameras are an impossible problem to solve due to size. They could have continued to make the 4.7" phone (even at the higher thickness of the SE3 i.e. not quite as thin as the 6) for longer, they could have made the screen a bit bigger (5") within thbe same footprint, bumped the refresh rate to 120Hz and moved to OLED, replaced touch ID with Face ID... and would probably have sold more. Heck, I would buy an iPhone 5-sized phone or even a 3.5" phone in a heartbeat.

 

[Moukee]

1. Single speaker

I guess that matters to a certain audience.

2. Single camera

Probably by far the biggest reason why people choose a regular 17 or 17 Pro over the Air.

3. Extremely poor battery life (due to thinness)

Test show very different results than "extremely poor". If you're not coming from a "Max" device, the difference isn't night and day and if you're coming from an older device, the Air will likely have better battery life.

4. Inferior C1X 5G modem compared to SD X80 in Pro series

Most people won't even know what that is.

5. Too thin to hold.

Highly subjective. Lighter than the Pro models should make it easier to hold for most people. The Pro Max is even larger and heavier.

6. Busted Wifi 7 that is incapable of 320 Mhz channel width on 6Ghz.

No iPhone is capable of 320 MHz.

7. No mmWave which is in Pro models.

Irrelevant in most markets or not a compromise, as the other iPhones don't offer mmWave there either.

8. No display output via USB-C to an external monitor or TV.

Again, almost nobody has a use for this.

9. Still USB 2.0 speeds for a premium device in 2025.

And again.

10. Slower binned SOC (again due to thinness and heat concerns)

Most people won't know or notice the difference.



As I said, the camera system will be the #1 reason by far why people choose different models over the Air, with speakers and maybe slightly inferior battery life in a distant #2/3.

Everything else you listed will be unknown and/or irrelevant to most potential customers.

 

[johnrlaporta]

The other thing is what size matters to you. I couldn’t care less about depth/thickness. If you could instead make the height and width iPhone 4 size again, I’d be in. Fits much better in an pocket.

 

[victorvictoria]

To paraphrase the 42nd prez, "It's the battery, stupid!"

 

[snakes-]

1. 6.5 inch is too big.
2. Design people don't care about specs. No need to put A19 pro inside.
3. Price too high.
4. Good example for cannibalism. iPhone yes - Air no

But i like the Air and the idea to change the design.

 

[Anaxarxes]

Backing up your iDevices locally has to go thru Finder wired or wifi

wifi can go up to 1.7Gbps - I would say plenty for recurring backups?

 

[amaze1499]

Just for comparison purposes: how does Samsung and Google do with their equivalents?

 

[Mike121989]

I must be in the minority but I absolutely love this phone. For me, its up there with the iPhone 4 and iPhone X.

I am with you on this one. I love my iPhone Air, and it’s just what I need.

 

[jwolf6589]

Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports.

The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of launch in China, the overall reception has apparently been lukewarm in the region.

Combined with weak demand in other markets, sales projections have dropped significantly. Although Nikkei declined to disclose the full extent of the production cut or which suppliers will be affected, it says that the changes may be seen in Apple's supply chain in the coming months.

A new KeyBanc Capital Markets survey for investors reveals "virtually no demand for iPhone Air, and limited willingness to pay for a foldable." Demand for other iPhone 17 models is said to be healthy but measured, with the mix "continuing to shift toward Pro and Pro Max models." Moreover, AI features have yet to meaningfully influence buying decisions.

Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple will reduce iPhone Air production by one million units this year. Meanwhile, Apple apparently plans to increase production of iPhone 17 models by two million units. A separate report claimed that Samsung has canceled plans to release a successor to its own iPhone Air rival, the Galaxy S25 Edge, due to low sales.

Article Link: Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Good. I do not know why they dropped the plus!!! I have a 15 plus and cant afford the pro Max model and dont want the air because the screen is smaller and it has less cameras. Apple go back to the plus!!!

 

[lewchenko]

Samsung learned the same lesson with the s25 Edge. Which is arguably a better phone than the air (2 cameras, bigger battery, stereo speakers) but it still failed. Not enough people willing to compromise on camera and battery.

 

[Rogifan]

I want thinner and lighter products, especially hand held. It sold out in China. Why do you think it didn't need to be a product.....who knows.

Let’s see if we get a new version of this phone in a year or two. My bet is we don’t.

 

[tomtad]

Just for comparison purposes: how does Samsung and Google do with their equivalents?

Google doesn’t have an equivalent and Samsung have just canned their thin ‘Edge’ model

 

[Spinarelo]

My non tech friend got one and returned it in a week, siting the camera, usb 2 and battery anxiety. That's a normal non tech person. If Apple dropped the price to match the limitations they might have a huge hit on their hands.

You expect us to believe your "non-tech" friend cares about usb 2? Come on man

 

[turbineseaplane]

The other thing is what size matters to you. I couldn’t care less about depth/thickness. If you could instead make the height and width iPhone 4 size again, I’d be in. Fits much better in an pocket.

My frustration exactly.
Thin is very nice, but not when the length and width are so huge.

The L x W are what determine hand hold feel and ability to use single-handedly, etc.