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Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air
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The iPhone Air has a stunning design, no doubt about that. But you can’t sell a premium iPhone Air for €250 more when it offers only half the features of the regular iPhone 17.
It’s a shame as I’d love a thin and light phone but the compromises it comes with are just not worth it.
As others have pointed out, it also doesn’t make sense to charge more than the standard 17 which has better battery, 2 speakers and 2 cameras and hundreds cheaper.
As others have pointed out, it also doesn’t make sense to charge more than the standard 17 which has better battery, 2 speakers and 2 cameras and hundreds cheaper.
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Couple of possibilities - not mutually exclusive:
- There weren’t many Airs available on day 1 - so a day 1 “sell-out” story was inevitable. You could argue Apple constrained supply because they weren’t confident how the market would react.
- Customer’s returned their Airs? (the market spoke more accurately once the product was out)
This clearly seems to be a "test" product for Apple in the same way the iPhone X was. When the iPhone X was launched at $1000, the previous gen iPhone 7 cost $649. There was a large change the X would flop and Apple could write it off as a limited edition or halo product that was only for a small percentage of users. As it happened, people seemed to be willing to pay the 50% price increase for the X and Apple essentially moved the whole line to this format and set the pricing bar at $999 (I wonder if they cancelled an iPhone 9 that would have launched alongside the XR & XS if the X flopped).
It's the same for this product, Apple is likely testing out the market for a $999 ultrathin phone. This time it looks like the market is saying "no thanks". Does this impact Apple's plans to launch a foldable? Who knows?
Now, if the iPhone Air had launched with underscreen FaceID and/or camera enabling a full frontal screen, that probably would have been more interesting...
It's the same for this product, Apple is likely testing out the market for a $999 ultrathin phone. This time it looks like the market is saying "no thanks". Does this impact Apple's plans to launch a foldable? Who knows?
Now, if the iPhone Air had launched with underscreen FaceID and/or camera enabling a full frontal screen, that probably would have been more interesting...
iPad Air is significantly cheaper, and the MacBook Air is cheaper and WAY thinner/lighter than the MacBook Pro. So no, the same cannot be said.
Air at the SE price ($400 approx.) may be reasonable.
However, Air at the Pro price is a rip-off.
However, Air at the Pro price is a rip-off.
Turns out the camera is the important thing.
By now we know that they greatly overestimated the demand for it.
That was the first launch, and then the second/Chinese launch could be tailored better for the Chinese market, so to speak.
Like I've mentioned elsewhere it's a big thing that the iPhone Air was the first phone with eSIM-support in China. To not get political we can just say that it wasn't due to popular demand that that wasn't available before.
Indeed. Time changes things and people work off the best knowledge they have at the time.
Sometimes it’s better just to wait a little.
If it wasn't for a trip I was taking in February that I definitely want a better camera for I'd of picked this up in a heartbeat.
So if the iPhone Air was significantly cheaper than the iPhone Pro the comparison would be ok? Difference here is the iPhone Air has many of the features the Pro has where the iPad Air does not (OLED display, promotion, Face ID).
The MacBook Air is much thinner and lighter than the MacBook Pro. Very similar to how the iPhone Air is.
Other than the camera, where is the "half of the features"
I don’t really understand that, since eSIM should be easier to control than physical SIMs. I’d find it more plausible if China would ban the latter.
As a 12 mini owner standing on the fence for the last 5 years and advocating on the mini cancellation I'm going to upgrade to the Air.
But they didn't? It sold out. You need to pick a narrative. You're constantly flipping back and forth to desperately portray any failure no matter how it makes your comment look
Again, zero sense.
People aren't buying an Air for eSIM and eSIM only. Do you understand your comments come across as grasping at any straws possible? Just drop it lol
If you haven't already, take a look at Marques comparing the iPhone 17 Pro Max with the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max:
Yeah, it seems a novelty form factor isn’t something a lot of folks will pay for.
That may be why the report mentioned fold-ables too?
That guy made multiple mistakes in his video, and continues to across his videos. Why on earth do you feel this proves you point? It's working against you
I like the idea of the air, but weirdly, even though I barely ever use the stereo speakers on my phone, it turns out that that's kind of a dealbreaker for me, especially at that price.
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. Although Nikkei declined to disclose the 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
Also the price, it's close enough in price to the Pro in my region, that it kind of defines itself by what it can't do, why not spend a little more and get the extra things?
Also the price, it's far away enough from the price of the 17 that it feels like a bad deal to lose features/specs that the 17 has, and pay a good amount more just for thinness.
I mean thinness is pretty cool, I have a 13" M4 Ipad Pro, but literally the only reason I got that over an Ipad Air was the incredible screen, in my view, IPads (and Iphones) have been thin enough for generations now.
Basically unless the Air cost the same as the 17, the decision is between the 17 and the pro, the Air isn't even in the conversation for me.
The iphone air was a very good experiment to see if Apple users would be prepared to accept compromises and Apple got their answer, a resounding no.