The MacRumors Show: iPhone Air Is in Trouble

[SactoGuy18]

Now you wonder the "what if" of Apple releasing an iPhone 17 Plus with the 6.9" LTPO would have made a difference. I think the iPhone 17 Plus in this configuration would have actually sold well, since many users don't need the fancy camera features of the iPhone 17 Pro.

 

[GMShadow]

"Pay no attention to the 90% cut in parts production. We're just trying to keep it exclusive, like the iPhone 5C."

The 5C was such a failure it was routinely the second best selling phone during the year it was the midrange flagship.

Love the narratives that still get spun today!

 

[whiteashsaturday]

This is anti-marketing, MacRumors has turned hostile.

I have the air and I’ve used it for three weeks, I just put on the air battery pack and now I’m convinced that this is the most powerful phone and useful, there would be no way I would want to go back to how heavy the other phones are and know that I have to carry that weight all day long.

Price is only a problem for those that see it as one.

 

[JPack]

Now you wonder the "what if" of Apple releasing an iPhone 17 Plus with the 6.9" LTPO would have made a difference. I think the iPhone 17 Plus in this configuration would have actually sold well, since many users don't need the fancy camera features of the iPhone 17 Pro.

It certainly would, but it's the same reason why Apple wouldn't release it. This is the first year the base model received near parity features with the 6.3-inch Pro, hence the sales numbers for the base. A similarly equipped Plus would put a big dent in Pro Max sales.

 

[fenderbass146]

Most normal people don't rationalize it that way.

You wouldn't accept a chip from a year or two ago, which was just fine. Why should buyers blindfold themselves and ignore the fact the base 17 and Pro models offer more battery life?

I'd absoutely accept a chip from 2 years ago...I have a iPhone 14 Pro (waiting for my 17 pro to get off backorder from Xfinity) and my complaints of my iPhone 14 Pro re really down to lack of good zoom and usb c. The speed is not an issue for 99% of iPhone users in the real world with how good these chips have gotten.

 

[JPack]

I'd absoutely accept a chip from 2 years ago...I have a iPhone 14 Pro (waiting for my 17 pro to get off backorder from Xfinity) and my complaints of my iPhone 14 Pro re really down to lack of good zoom and usb c. The speed is not an issue for 99% of iPhone users in the real world with how good these chips have gotten.

Most people wouldn't. It's the reason why Apple no longer does n-1 chips with the base models. Apple tried it with iPhone 14 and 15, but the sales numbers spoke for themselves.

In terms of battery life, people want the best battery life they can get today, not just "good enough."

 

[mzeb]

As someone who was a prospective customer here I landed on the 16e I saw the rumors of the 17 Air form factor. For me, it's the giant camera bump. It isn't actually that thin because of this. If the bump weren't there, I would have bought this phone.

 

[now i see it]

Its as if A-Inc is completely out of touch with its customers

 

[falkon-engine]

With pro motion on the regular iPhone 17, with decent battery life, an awesome screen, an a19 chip that is faster than the predecessor flagship's a18 Pro, who in their right mind would spend more $$ just to get an Air, that only has one camera (which isn't even ultra-wide capable)?

 

[one more]

I have the air and I’ve used it for three weeks, I just put on the air battery pack and now I’m convinced that this is the most powerful phone and useful, there would be no way I would want to go back to how heavy the other phones are and know that I have to carry that weight all day long.

That very battery pack instantly negates any Air size and weight benefits and adds another $100 to its price, no?

 

[JPack]

This is anti-marketing, MacRumors has turned hostile.

I had no idea MacRumors was on Apple's payroll.

 

[Unbiasedhippo]

This is anti-marketing, MacRumors has turned hostile.

I have the air and I’ve used it for three weeks, I just put on the air battery pack and now I’m convinced that this is the most powerful phone and useful, there would be no way I would want to go back to how heavy the other phones are and know that I have to carry that weight all day long.

Price is only a problem for those that see it as one.

I think MacRumors sees how polarizing this topic is and increased site activity so they’re running with every story, regardless of accuracy, that can keep people engaged.

 

[whiteashsaturday]

That very battery pack instantly negates any Air size and weight benefits and adds another $100 to its price, no?

Wrong thinking, why would you carry around half of a battery that was no longer charged. You simply slapped the battery back on use it for a while. Take it off put it back on when you’re no longer using the phone, but when you are using the phone. The phone is light as a feather because there’s no extra battery.

I really have a hard time understanding how people think that just because you have a battery back, you have the battery pack on your phone 100% of the time. That is only true for the phones with the super large batteries inside them.

Old phones had swappable batteries, a phone could have been swapped 4 batteries throughout the day in the early 2000s and people would have never thought any different about the actual phone, they just would’ve had more batteries. The same thing can be true about the iPhone Air.

 

[mlayer]

Now you wonder the "what if" of Apple releasing an iPhone 17 Plus with the 6.9" LTPO would have made a difference. I think the iPhone 17 Plus in this configuration would have actually sold well, since many users don't need the fancy camera features of the iPhone 17 Pro.

That would never because Apple couldn't let the Plus cannibalize Pro/Max sales. Currently the Pro/Max has plenty of differentiation from the other iPhones, especially the Air.

 

[citysnaps]

I think we will see more Air versions. In the meantime I am loving my Air, the sports car of iphones.

Spot-on.

Reading all of the posts above suggesting Apple is stupid and doesn't know what they're doing goes back many years. Just more chum in the water.

 

[Abydos]

Huh, nobody wants lesser battery, fewer cameras, one speaker, and god awful colors? It’s like the 13 all over again

oops - I thought we were all using earbuds, cameras were a fraction of the market, and we practiced good power management - oh well

 

[bmark]

Apple cutting corners on the Air didn't pay off and they don't learn from their mistakes!

 

[Corefile]

If they made it the formfactor of the regular iPhone and sold it for $299 then it might have sold a few more units.

 

[CEmajr]

It's the single camera that's the killer along with the price. Single camera equates with low-end or budget to most consumers. So you see $999 for the lesser phone and it doesn't make sense. It would sell great at $599.

 

[JoeSilver]

About the "waterfall" design of the screen running around the edges and "how am I supposed to hold it"...
You are assuming that, just because the border of the screen extends to the edges, those edges will also be interactive. It's not necessary and probably it won't happen.
When I look at my Pro, I see these bezels which I don't like much and I think that a screen which curves and wraps around the edges, without necessarily being touch sensitive there, would be pretty cool.
Of course the real challenge is to make it hard enough so that it doesn't break or chip easily. But I don't expect that part to be interactive.

 

[bbates123]

Of course it's a failure... Paying more for less 💀

Depends on how you define less. For me more is thin and light and hand-holdable and better cellular reception. For me less is heavy and bulky and worse cellular reception. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Sami13496]

I think that a lot of people who are interested in the Air will still end up choosing the regular iPhone. It’s so good, and it’s cheaper too. And it’s also reasonably light and normal thickness.

 

[Unbiasedhippo]

If they made it the formfactor of the regular iPhone and sold it for $299 then it might have sold a few more units.

If they gave the pro and pro max bigger batteries and 9 cameras and made it 99$ they’d sell way more

 

[SSDGUY]

I love the idea but camera and other limitations for the price have caused me to consider the 17 or the Pro. I don't really need a new phone (my 14 pro is OK) so I'll wait.

 

[Unbiasedhippo]

I think that a lot of people who are interested in the Air will still end up choosing the regular iPhone. It’s so good, and it’s cheaper too. And it’s also reasonably light and normal thickness.

Nope. Never. I’ve bought every iPhone pro max ever. I’d go back to the pro max if they dropped the air model. Good news is, they’re not going to cancel the air. I’m buying the air 2. Day one.