iPhone Air The psychology of the iPhone Air crash outs

[Bustermd]

There are always people that love to put down what other people buy/plan to buy in order to make themselves feel "superior", but this has been the case forever and is not unique to the iPhone Air, or to smartphones for that matter. There are an equal number of people that feel smug self-satisfaction in the fact that they still use a ridiculously obsolete ancient iphone, or that they are "savvy" enough to buy the regular iphone when other schmucks buy the Pro phone "but don't use the Pro features" or whatever. The abnormal psychology here is attaching your self worth, or your perception of others, to the junk in your pockets.

There are lots of very legitimate criticisms of the Air, but no one has yet held it in their hands and at the end of the day just buy what makes you happy. Don't worry about what other people do.

 

[Joseph C]

More choice is a good thing. The introduction of an Air model, which is a beautifully designed model more in the Steve Jobs image of Apple, allows for Apple to push the boundaries of the Pro to be more powerful, have an better battery, and push performance to its limits.

This way, they can cater to customers who don't need all that extra power and would rather have a lightweight phone made from premium materials, that gets the good screen and a decent enough battery for the average user.

Myself, I might end up missing the camera system on the Pro and if I do, I'll exchange my Air for a Pro. I think the Pros are awesome; the base iPhone 17 is phenomenal too for the average consumer as well. And the Air lets Apple do the 'thinnest, sexiest' thing without too many compromises.

I don't begrudge anyone's choice personally - they're all good choices.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Interesting take, I would agree with it.

People should use the device that they will feel the best about and best suits their needs, not the device that they think others would approve of them using.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I think it started with the iPhone 16 when you saw influencers and celebrities rocking the bright colors. Only the “creators” seemingly had the Pro models while others accepted decent cameras with more colors. The more we get quality camera lenses in all models the more people will gravitate towards what fits their style.

I think the Air will be popular with celebrities, especially women, but time will tell how much folks value rear cameras which is where the biggest differences are.

 

[Supermallet]

More choice is a good thing. The introduction of an Air model, which is a beautifully designed model more in the Steve Jobs image of Apple, allows for Apple to push the boundaries of the Pro to be more powerful, have an better battery, and push performance to its limits.

This way, they can cater to customers who don't need all that extra power and would rather have a lightweight phone made from premium materials, that gets the good screen and a decent enough battery for the average user.

Myself, I might end up missing the camera system on the Pro and if I do, I'll exchange my Air for a Pro. I think the Pros are awesome; the base iPhone 17 is phenomenal too for the average consumer as well. And the Air lets Apple do the 'thinnest, sexiest' thing without too many compromises.

I don't begrudge anyone's choice personally - they're all good choices.

It's weird, the Air has one less camera than the base 17, so it's really about form over function. It seems to cater exclusively to people who care about how their phone looks and not how it performs in any meaningful sense.

 

[Joseph C]

It's weird, the Air has one less camera than the base 17, so it's really about form over function. It seems to cater exclusively to people who care about how their phone looks and not how it performs in any meaningful sense.

You could argue though that for many people, one camera is enough.

Simply having a lightweight, beautiful phone made from premium materials - like they used to be in the iPhone 4, 5 and X days - is what some may want most, provided it has a good battery, a nice screen and takes nice photos. Which the Air does.

 

[C. Robert]

I just think it's funny people are buying an orange phone. I cant wait to talk 💩 to people I know that use a jack-A-Lantern iPhone

 

[Garethe86]

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.

Their approach does seem a little odd. I will say the years I bought the Pro it was never because of the way it looked. If that was all I cared about I would have never bought one to begin with, they've always been on the bland/boring side.

 

[Bustermd]

More choice is a good thing.

I may hold an unpopular opinion, but more choice isn't always better and many times actually decreases customer satisfaction.

You see this with the iphone. In my opinion, consumers were happier when there was just one "iPhone" and that was that. Now with fragmentation of the lineup, there is more FOMO and buyer's remorse and people upset with perceived compromises being "forced" on them. Granted forums like this one show a little bit of a skewed perspective on things, but I think it is true in the wider population as well. I think there should be a "flagship" (hate that term, but can't think of anything else to describe it) iPhone available in two sizes, and one economy model phone like the 16e.

 

[dmdcash]

I just think it's funny people are buying an orange phone. I cant wait to talk **** to people I know the a jack-A-Lantern iPhone

Eh, orange isn’t my thing, but whatever. What I DO find unbelievable is how is there no black in the pro versions? And this from a guy for once downgrading from 16 pro to base 17.

 

[Garethe86]

I just think it's funny people are buying an orange phone. I cant wait to talk **** to people I know the a jack-A-Lantern iPhone

I don't think we've heard the last of it. Buddy of mine asked if I got the phone that looks like a glow stick, he said I wouldn't even need to light it up at concerts, just take off the case and wave the phone around.

 

[The Doctor11]

This is actually a shockingly good take.

Well written. Holds true in what I've seen as well.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Interesting summary. It could well be that we see increasing but subtle positioning changes between the 3 lines of the 'base' models, the Air and the 'pro' models over the coming years. The 'pro' differentiator of the USB3 for offloading large amounts of data indicates that it's aimed at the content creating power user.

We may see increased functionality differentiation of the 'pros' with a drift up in price either directly or perhaps by dropping the 256Gb versions.

I think this is very likely to happen, especially with the all screen curved 20th anniversary pro edition rumored.
This very much feels like 2012 when the MacBook Air 13 inch and the MacBook Pro 13 inch were only $100 apart… and than the retina MacBook Pro crashed in at a whopping $600 more expensive over the non-retina model.
With the 20th anniversary pro, I could very much see the gap, especially in price, between the air and the pro widening.
Today it’s $999 and $1099.
Two years from now it could be the air still at $999… But the pro starts at $1299 and the Pro Max at $1499.
Then it’s not just going up $100 to get the benefits of the pro, it’s going up $300-600.
I mean, just look at Apple’s other product lines.
The MacBook Pro officially from Apple is a full $600 extra over the MacBook Air.
The iPad Pro is $400 more than the iPad Air.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I think there should be a "flagship" (hate that term, but can't think of anything else to describe it) iPhone available in two sizes, and one economy model phone like the 16e.

I agree with you. There should be "one" iPhone in 3 sizes - Mini, Regular, Max. Same specs across the line (adjusted for body size). Every iPhone in a given generation should be the best iPhone - you pick one based on size preference alone. No artificial segmentation.

And maybe an E for Economic model refreshed every 2-ish years for the budget crowd. Regular size only. Want options? Move up to the standard iPhone line.

 

[Joseph C]

I may hold an unpopular opinion, but more choice isn't always better and many times actually decreases customer satisfaction.

You see this with the iphone. In my opinion, consumers were happier when there was just one "iPhone" and that was that. Now with fragmentation of the lineup, there is more FOMO and buyer's remorse and people upset with perceived compromises being "forced" on them. Granted forums like this one show a little bit of a skewed perspective on things, but I think it is true in the wider population as well. I think there should be a "flagship" (hate that term, but can't think of anything else to describe it) iPhone available in two sizes, and one economy model phone like the 16e.

I mean, listen - I believe in the Steve Jobs approach he took when returning to Apple after he'd been fired, and it had millions of product lines. He simplified them hugely and it was a big success. If I could choose the Apple lineup I'd drastically simplify the ranges across iPhone, Mac and iPad.

But sadly that's not how Tim Cook operates. We saw this when iPhone X came along to slot at the top at a premium price, which gave way to the Regular/Pro situation and now we have even more splits, then the SE/E models etc. Same with the Macs and iPads. It's a lot.

It's much messier than I'd like but we are where we are. I personally welcome this 'third way' with iPhone flagships as it keeps both options: premium/sexy and most powerful/best battery.

 

[Sami13496]

Exactly.

Previously, Pro (Max) users were seen as owning the most expensive, best, and most premium design model.

From now on, Pro (Max) users will be seen more as owning the technically best utilitarian tool. The orange color emphasizes this idea.

Air users will be seen more as owning the stylish premium design model.

 

[Supermallet]

You could argue though that for many people, one camera is enough.

Simply having a lightweight, beautiful phone made from premium materials - like they used to be in the iPhone 4, 5 and X days - is what some may want most, provided it has a good battery, a nice screen and takes nice photos. Which the Air does.

You could argue that, but if we're talking psychology I think most people will balk at getting half the cameras for several hundred dollars more than the base 17.

 

[Joseph C]

You could argue that, but if we're talking psychology I think most people will balk at getting half the cameras for several hundred dollars more than the base 17.

I suppose that's what we're going to find out in the coming months as more people see the Air IRL in their friends' hands or in store.

My gut says a decent amount of 'every day' (read: not people who have even read an Apple forum, let alone participated on one) people will walk into a store, hold it and go "I can handle it only having one camera [insert other compromise here] - it's good enough for my needs because it's SO nice and the others feel like bricks".

 

[jjwolverine]

God, I love this website. Who are these people who post these completely insane scribes? the 17 Pro isn't the most premium beautiful design so nyah! ???

The Air has legitimate compromises. It being the "most beautiful" phone is a matter of preference. I might agree that it is, but to say that the nerds (me) on this site (who worry about specs and battery life far more than the average person) are stating that the Air has compromises is in actuality a deflection from our secret desire to own an (less expensive and easier to get) iPhone Air is just ridiculous. I pre-ordered a 17 Pro Max because I wanted a big screen and the best battery life and cameras. I did not consider the Air even though I believe it to certainly be a more striking and beautiful design than the 17 and the 17 Pro. Those compromises I mentioned (battery, performance, camera) are why, and I'm willing to bet the vast majority of people who made that choice used similar logic.

Agreed. I always get the Pro Max model because I care about screen size, camera and battery. Most people who will chose the Air probably aren't pouring over specs they'll get it FOR aesthetic reasons (it's unquestionably impressive-looking) and that's okay. They are two different target audiences.

Anybody's whose sense of self and self-worth is tied to the perception of their smartphone really has bigger things to deal with than choosing Air vs. Pro 😂

 

[rui no onna]

It's weird, the Air has one less camera than the base 17, so it's really about form over function. It seems to cater exclusively to people who care about how their phone looks and not how it performs in any meaningful sense.

It should be noted that the Air has a slightly bigger display than the 17 as well, similar in size to the XS Max/11 Pro Max. It’s the lightest iPhone with 6.5” screen size. I know folks who don’t care about any of the Pro features but just buy the Pro Max because it has the biggest display. The Air is 0.4” smaller, but 6.5” is still a pretty good size and I can see how that may appeal to those folks.

Mind, I managed just fine with the SE’s single camera. Most of the time, I was just using it to take pictures of receipts anyway. It’s the battery life that absolutely sucked considering I had less than 1 hour daily onscreen time. Granted, 1-2 bars and no wifi where I was using it. To be fair, it’s not totally the SE’s fault but rather years of battery wear and I started using CGMs which ate battery like crazy. Back when the SE3 was new, I’d still have around 40+% by the time I got home.

Coming from the iPhone SE3 and mini, for me it’s about comfort and feel in hand without sacrificing too much on things that are important to me (mainly battery life). I’d gladly get the Air if it could deliver on that alas, it seems narrower is more comfortable for me than thinner.

 

[ignatius345]

The thing that gets me is how much people who don't want the iPhone Air feel that it's bad and wrong that the iPhone Air exists at all and feel it's their god-given duty to tell everyone about how bad and wrong it is. Maybe because they're not comfortable imagining that not everyone values MOST CAMERAS BIGGEST BATTERY THICKEST TOUGHEST BIG TRUCK-LIKE PHONE like they do.

Like, who cares? I personally feel the Pro Max phones are an abomination and massive overkill for what I want in a smartphone. But I just... don't buy them and I don't generally waste my and everyone else's time and energy bitching about their mere existence. Fact is, while they're a bad fit for my needs and preferences, they're apparently a good fit for others ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So how is the iPhone Air different? You don't want it, don't buy it. Problem solved. But maybe also don't be compelled to shoot your mouth off repeatedly about how since you don't want it, nobody else should have it either.

 

[Joseph C]

There is an argument that in terms of what a lot of people actually need, smartphones reached that point around iPhone X. Everything since has just been extra power, extra photo abilities, etc, but increasingly at the expense of the design of the handset.

That tipping point may have necessitated this year's "split" of pro with design into two handsets. Because Apple can't keep both running in one device without compromising either?

I dunno, I'm just trying to get my head round the strategy!

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I may hold an unpopular opinion, but more choice isn't always better and many times actually decreases customer satisfaction.

You see this with the iphone. In my opinion, consumers were happier when there was just one "iPhone" and that was that. Now with fragmentation of the lineup, there is more FOMO and buyer's remorse and people upset with perceived compromises being "forced" on them. Granted forums like this one show a little bit of a skewed perspective on things, but I think it is true in the wider population as well. I think there should be a "flagship" (hate that term, but can't think of anything else to describe it) iPhone available in two sizes, and one economy model phone like the 16e.

I think Apple is way too massive now to just simply have one model, and the smartphone market is simply way too mature for that.
Same thing happened with the iPod, there was only one iPod for the first three years… And then that spread into an entire iPod lineup that span anywhere from the $50 Shuffle to the $150 Nano to the $250 160 GB classic to a $400 64 GB Touch.
To continue growth, they can’t really do the first several years of iPhone thing and hope customers meet them, especially internationally.
Pretty much their only option is to have a phone at every price point and meet the customer, instead of the other way around.

 

[ignatius345]

It's weird, the Air has one less camera than the base 17, so it's really about form over function.

My brother, the form is part of the function. If the device is lighter and thinner, it's less bulky and easier to forget you're carrying. Some people might prefer that, yeah?

 

[FeliApple]

It should be noted that the Air has a slightly bigger display than the 17 as well, similar in size to the XS Max/11 Pro Max. It’s the lightest iPhone with 6.5” screen size. I know folks who don’t care about any of the Pro features but just buy the Pro Max because it has the biggest display. The Air is 0.4” smaller, but 6.5” is still a pretty good size and I can see how that may appeal to those folks.

Mind, I managed just fine with the SE’s single camera. Most of the time, I was just using it to take pictures of receipts anyway. It’s the battery life that absolutely sucked considering I had less than 1 hour daily onscreen time. Granted, 1-2 bars and no wifi where I was using it. To be fair, it’s not totally the SE’s fault but rather years of battery wear and I started using CGMs which ate battery like crazy. Back when the SE3 was new, I’d still have around 40+% by the time I got home.

Coming from the iPhone SE3 and mini, for me it’s about comfort and feel in hand without sacrificing too much on things that are important to me (mainly battery life). I’d gladly get the Air if it could deliver on that alas, it seems narrower is more comfortable for me than thinner.

Which iPhone are you getting? The Air can likely deliver in terms of battery life.