iPhone Air The psychology of the iPhone Air crash outs

[rui no onna]

Holding, sure. Using it like the mini, no.

None of the phones currently available can be used like the mini. At this point, it’s more about trying to find something that’s the least bad option.

 

[zkap]

Boils down to buy what you want and **** when it comes to the choices of others.

Indeed. In 2018 I was deciding between a few iPhones, among them the XR. Most people were criticizing it, and when I say criticizing, you know I'm being generous.
I looked through a bunch of articles, Youtube videos and posts on here and decided to buy it. It didn't occur to me to make posts analysing the psychology behind people ridiculing the XR.

In a perfect world, that is. But that world doesn't exist and I think what the OP is getting at with all their psycho-babble is that they'd like some sort of admission of guilt on the part of those chastising the choices of others.

But it isn't chastising the choices of others, at least not for me. This is an Apple product being discussed on an Apple-centric forum. I never thought I'd have to point this out numerous times about anything.

If I see Product A that is marketed as having an aluminum body and vapor chamber to help with heat dissipation, and Product B that has a thinner body, titanium frame and no vapor chamber, I'll be asking questions about the battery prospects. That just seems like common sense to me. Where the hatred part comes in and what it is to be analysed in any way, I don't know, but what I do know is that this is my last day discussing this. Starting tomorrow, the Air will be in the hands of the first owners. I will not be among them so I'm out of the discussion.

This was always speculative, we were calling it the way we were seeing it. The difference is, one camp was praising everything Air and one guy in another thread (or maybe this one, it's somewhere out there) even said the Air has a better battery than the Pro. Someone actually said this.

As opposed to that, pointing out the shortcomings isn't hatred, it's experience / common sense and stems from comparing the Air with what we saw before. It doesn't have to be correct, but at least it's coming from somewhere objective. Maybe I will be proven that a thinner iPhone with a smaller battery in a titanium chassis can outperform a thicker iPhone with a larger battery in an aluminum chassis. If that happens, nevermind the Air, we will all want to know how Apple defied physics.

 

[Grolubao]

I was dead sure on the PRO, but after it seems that battery life is not as bad as expected, I'm torn. I do think the screen is too big though, but ultimately I need to hold one in hand to make a decision. I'll be going tomorrow to the Apple store

 

[Jeweller]

But it isn't chastising the choices of others, at least not for me. This is an Apple product being discussed on an Apple-centric forum. I never thought I'd have to point this out numerous times about anything.

Right, I get that. Rational people generally understand and can respectfully discuss both sides of an argument, which can be educational not to mention entertaining in forums such as these. OP seems to be targeting the very reactive and irrational who are against the Air because they can't cope with their own cognitive dissonance with regard to its existence. AKA the troll who feels the need to lash out. For this I see no point.

 

[ISignedUpToAskThis]

Great post @Joseph C

I've felt the same way, torn between going for the Air and the Pro/Pro Max for the reasons you've mentioned. I've ordered the Pro and the Pro Max (just because pre-order dates were slipping), but I'm still 50/50 on whether to go for the Air instead.

Also noticed more posters than usual defending their choices and trying to find fault in the device they haven't gone with. Why can't people just accept there are compromises with both the Air and the Pro/Pro Max? It's amusing to see some people have near meltdowns over the thoughts of others.

 

[ISignedUpToAskThis]

The Pro’s definitely look like the ugly duckling when compared to the Air. The non centred Apple logo looks awful.

Genuinely perplexed the it passed the design phase. Did nobody in Apple R&D look at the prototypes and think, "shouldn't the Apple logo be centred for MagSafe accessories?". Wouldn't have happened under Jobs or Ive. It's the reason I'm not buying a clear/frosted case with MagSafe rings.

That, and the color choices for the Pro...just odd.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

One speaker
No macro or ultra wide shots

These two isn't a sacrifice for Pro users, it's a sacrifice for most users with phones 5 years recent.

 

[surferfb]

Genuinely perplexed the it passed the design phase. Did nobody in Apple R&D look at the prototypes and think, "shouldn't the Apple logo be centred for MagSafe accessories?". Wouldn't have happened under Jobs or Ive. It's the reason I'm not buying a clear/frosted case with MagSafe rings.

That, and the color choices for the Pro...just odd.

Honestly I probably would have just ordered the Pro had it looked better. I know taste is subjective, but I really dislike it - maybe the worst design ever. I always go cashless, but there is no way I will if I end up returning the Air for the Pro.

 

[gomakoto]

I’d feel less remorse about the pro if it was titanium or even better stainless.

 

[aParkerMusic]

For years, the iPhone Pro model has carried a dual crown: not only the most powerful iPhone each year, but also the most desirable, most premium and the one you buy if you want the best of everything.

The iPhone Air has arrived this year to disrupt that hierarchy. Suddenly, the phone that looks and feels like the jewel of the line-up isn’t the Pro at all. It’s the Air.

The Pro is the powerful beast with the huge battery, built like a tank; while the Air is the beautiful object, impossibly thin with polished titanium edges. No longer do you get both the most power and best, most premium design in one device. You have to choose.

That shift is creating a kind of cognitive dissonance for people who define their choice of device as a reflection of their status. The psychology of it is fascinating.

IMO, many Pro buyers don’t actually use most of the Pro features. They’re not shooting in Apple Log or editing with big 4K/8K workflows on the go. They just want to know they have the "top" phone, the one no one else can one up.

But now the definition of "top" has splintered: raw performance and battery life vs. design desirability. The Air has stolen half of the crown - it wins on industrial design.

The defensive behaviour is all over this forum and the internet at large. Endless benchmarks, heat tests, nitpicking every compromise the Air has, all (I would argue) to soothe the ego. "See? I made the right choice. My Pro is better."

And in that scramble, they cling to the loudest 'pick me' tech reviewers: the ones obsessed with stress tests, performative throttling, and manufactured torture scenarios, because it feeds the narrative they need to believe.

This is becoming more about identity, and the unease of realising the "best iPhone" no longer comes in one neat package.

For the first time EVER, the most powerful iPhone is not the one with the most premium design.

It's really interesting to me, and makes this year's the most interesting iPhone launch in years.

Normally I don’t buy into the Apple psychoanalysis, but I think you are spot on here.

 

[East India Company]

The air is only the smaller premium phone this year. Next year it will have its own “Max” version: the iPhone Fold!
Indeed the iPhone fold will have the same industrial design as the Air and will be as thin when open.
However the Fold will indeed be the most expensive iPhone so the association of best and most expensive will again be true. In fact this year is only transitory in that regard.

 

[NotApplicable]

The air is only the smaller premium phone this year. Next year it will have its own “Max” version: the iPhone Fold!
Indeed the iPhone fold will have the same industrial design as the Air and will be as thin when open.
However the Fold will indeed be the most expensive iPhone so the association of best and most expensive will again be true. In fact this year is only transitory in that regard.

It’s reasonable to think the cameras and battery life on the fold will not be as good as the Pro, so I think the separation will still exist

 

[zenmacx]

I just think it's funny people are buying an orange phone.

I don’t mind the color orange. But… on an iPhone it just looks cheap and not all that far off the look of a traffic cone.

 

[waquzy]

I don’t mind the color orange. But… on an iPhone it just looks cheap and not all that far off the look of a traffic cone.

It actually looks like a cheap replica/toy

 

[someone33]

The Edge is ugly, the Air is not. The Air will start selling a lot better as more of the general public sees them in person. People also seem to forget the Air has 12gb of RAM compared to 8gb on the base 17.

 

[East India Company]

It’s reasonable to think the cameras and battery life on the fold will not be as good as the Pro, so I think the separation will still exist

Yes maybe but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a near doubling of battery capacity with the fold (twice the Air surface minus some space allocated for more cameras and an additional speaker)

 

[tolili alert]

I don't understand you guys. How do you can live with only three sad rear cameras?. A phone with 3 cameras called "Pro"?. Is it a joke?.

My Nokia is fire compared with these 17 Pro

 

[tolili alert]

 

[Hicksmat1976]

the markup on the air (pure profit) is going to be higher than that of the regular 17, pro and pro max. its got less in it, so it costs less to make, so the profit is larger. by appealing to those who like shiny they will sell serious numbers, but I expect the other models to comfortably outsell the air. I would also be interested in the return rate on those who purchase the air and change their minds later.

 

[Grolubao]

I've tried both in store and the Pro actually feels better in my hand since it's smaller. I'm gutted, I wanted to love the Air, but I didn't

 

[Happy_John]

Yes maybe but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a near doubling of battery capacity with the fold (twice the Air surface minus some space allocated for more cameras and an additional speaker)

Doubling the battery size but also more than doubling the amount of pixels that need to be backlit and fed with power from the battery ( the double-sized foldable panel and also a panel on the front of the device when folded). All those pixels will eat up that extra battery capacity, so it mightn't translate into longer battery life.

 

[Eagle2]

I've tried both in store and the Pro actually feels better in my hand since it's smaller. I'm gutted, I wanted to love the Air, but I didn't

Same here

I've tried both in store and the Pro actually feels better in my hand since it's smaller. I'm gutted, I wanted to love the Air, but I didn't

I tried both in store today 1 hour after they opened; I was utterly shocked at the state of the Air! The polished edges looked awful with scratches and finger prints; back is full of scratches! I showed it to a staff member so we went onto a different aisle and again all airs badly scratched up with the black being the worse! Got the pro max; not thrilled with the design but it felt good in hand and no issues with build quality:

 

[oldtime]

Oh there's something psychological going on. The way the Air Cult has so quickly assembled and refined their list of cope talking points is like nothing I've ever seen. it's a solid little phone with a nice design that you get by exchanging most of the things people want from a phone. At a price that makes sense, maybe 700 bucks, it's a good new addition in the lineup. It's a meme in waiting at this point. It'll sell well for a year and then absolutely tank and disappear whenever the folding phone comes along. Pure cashgrab from Apple and can't believe how many people are carrying water for it. It's like satire of the "Apple sheep" cliche every windows/android user trots out.

 

[zkap]

How come there are no comments about the Air getting a lower Geekbench score than the regular 17? I tried the Air at the store today and it felt snappier than the 17, but with more dropped frames. The Pro felt by far the fastest and smoothest of the lot, which is no surprise, but I was surprised to actually experience choppy animations on the Air.

I guess the A19Pro is throttled quite a bit, which seems like a scam. Why put that in there, market it as having the same chip as the Pro phones, and then throttle it to the point where they might as well have used the A19?

 

[Jetcat3]

I've tried both in store and the Pro actually feels better in my hand since it's smaller. I'm gutted, I wanted to love the Air, but I didn't

Same. I also noticed really bad off axis color shifting that wasn’t present on the rest of the lineup.