Even this is too simplistic, there is nothing wrong with the iPhone air camera it will take excellent pictures and is a "really good camera"
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iPhone Air The psychology of the iPhone Air crash outs
- Thread starter Joseph C
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I don’t know if I agree with this take because I’ve seen just as many Air buyers coping (in my opinion) to convince the world their choice was valid and correct.
I’m happy for for anyone to buy whatever phone they want. I won’t be getting an Air for myself, primarily because I already struggle with battery life on my 16 Pro Max (my MDM profile really does a number on my battery life, but the alternative is to carry a work-issued Pixel phone alongside my personal and I really don’t want to deal with two phones every day) - but the design is beautiful. (Although I admit I question how many people will use it caseless and thus really be able to “show off” the design)
And for me personally, I would’ve been happy to make the trade-offs (and they are absolutely trade-offs, pretending otherwise doesn’t make it true) on camera and battery if this was a folding phone. But I personally won’t make that trade-off just for a phone that is thinner. But that’s me, others are free to do what they like.
I don’t actually think we can determine what is the new “status” phone is yet. It'll probably be mixed based on demographic, but I expect the orange colorway and distinctive (if ugly in a way that almost makes it attractive) plateau to be just as much of a status symbol as the Air at first. And then we will see if one emerges as the go-to bragging rights phone.
I’m happy for for anyone to buy whatever phone they want. I won’t be getting an Air for myself, primarily because I already struggle with battery life on my 16 Pro Max (my MDM profile really does a number on my battery life, but the alternative is to carry a work-issued Pixel phone alongside my personal and I really don’t want to deal with two phones every day) - but the design is beautiful. (Although I admit I question how many people will use it caseless and thus really be able to “show off” the design)
And for me personally, I would’ve been happy to make the trade-offs (and they are absolutely trade-offs, pretending otherwise doesn’t make it true) on camera and battery if this was a folding phone. But I personally won’t make that trade-off just for a phone that is thinner. But that’s me, others are free to do what they like.
I don’t actually think we can determine what is the new “status” phone is yet. It'll probably be mixed based on demographic, but I expect the orange colorway and distinctive (if ugly in a way that almost makes it attractive) plateau to be just as much of a status symbol as the Air at first. And then we will see if one emerges as the go-to bragging rights phone.
Allow me to disagree.
You frame the iPhone Air as paradoxical because it is not thinner than a decade‑old iPhone 6 "at the dingus end" but - and I think you know this already - this is a narrow and misleading comparison.
The iPhone Air’s engineering goal is to create the lightest and most refined balance of strength, durability, and thinness while keeping the things that probably matter most to ordinary people: having a nice, bright screen; being able to take nice photos; having a battery that lasts as long as previous models.
This whole "merely an idea that thin is beautiful" schtick is a strawman position. The iPhone Air is not a philosophical statement but a practical product designed to serve people who value portability, comfort, and elegance in daily use. The fact that some admire its thinness does not erase its functional benefits.
You're trying to claim iPhone Air exists only because of a "lack of general critical reasoning" which, aside from being condescending, dismisses the rational preferences of a significant audience.
Many people legitimately prioritise weight, feel in hand, and convenience over the Pro model’s additional cameras or performance features. And that doesn't make them stupid, no matter how much you think it does.
I find the OP mostly nonsense. It seems like they’re trying to justify getting the Air. Personally, I don’t think the Air is the best looking at all, I actually prefer the sturdiness of the Pro/PM, they look better to me. That’s why I ordered one. But all these mental gymnastics people are displaying for buying the Air is hilarious. It’s not that deep, bro. It’s just a phone.
Indeed - without knowing stock levels for each model it’s impossible to judge their relatively popularity. However no one should be surprised to see early adopters and enthusiasts flock to pre-order the Pro Max ‘best of the best’ for launch day. This is what happens every year.
Isn't it more "would you like a decent all-rounder camera or an amazing multi-camera system"?
Just because the Pro has more/better cameras, doesn't make the Air's camera "not good".
People keep saying that air owners care what it looks like. That’s not the case at all. I’m considering one because of what it feels like. Not only in the hand but pocket, especially when I’m wearing shorts.
I care less of what people “think” it looks like. I want thin and light because bulk is a thing.
Also, great thread! I completely agree with the psychological aspect of buyers remorse and being torn between “the best”.
Sorta makes me feel the same when trying to choose a class in a RPG.
I care less of what people “think” it looks like. I want thin and light because bulk is a thing.
Also, great thread! I completely agree with the psychological aspect of buyers remorse and being torn between “the best”.
Sorta makes me feel the same when trying to choose a class in a RPG.
In your opinion. I personally think they’re the best looking. I hate the skinny camera plateau on the Air, it just looks silly compared to the big plateau on the Pro.
I am sure someone had said this already, but a lot of this is due to a subtle shift in Apple's business model over the past 10 years or so. For most of Apple's recent history, it was a status symbol to have the latest, highest end versions of the products Apple makes because they often worked the best, but also signified you were someone that had both money and taste for new and exciting and good looking tech.
Apple's business model has shifted in recent years to getting more and more customers into their products, and subscribing to stuff (iCloud, AppleCare, AppleTV, etc) and buying products every few years. As part of this effort, Apple has actually added a ton of value to "lower end" products.
iPhone 17, Air, and Pro all work the same for 95% of smartphone tasks. Buy what you want - Pro Max doesn't necessarily suggest you are more "tasteful" or advanced anymore. Unless you are a content creator - the phone is undoubtedly the best for that.
Apple Watch Ultra vs Series 11? Purely a style decision. Hell, even the SE has the same chip.
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro? The Air is actually the smarter decision for many.
iPad Air vs iPad Pro? Pro is for those that want the best of Apple's tech. But most just don't need that. Either way, you are still in the ecosystem.
With so many options and phones out there, bragging rights don't matter anymore. Just buy what you want.
Me - in terms of the phone, the bragging right may just be holding on to my 16 Pro Max. Holding on to good tech that works for you and not getting sucked into the annual upgrade cycle may be the ultimate bragging right.
Apple's business model has shifted in recent years to getting more and more customers into their products, and subscribing to stuff (iCloud, AppleCare, AppleTV, etc) and buying products every few years. As part of this effort, Apple has actually added a ton of value to "lower end" products.
iPhone 17, Air, and Pro all work the same for 95% of smartphone tasks. Buy what you want - Pro Max doesn't necessarily suggest you are more "tasteful" or advanced anymore. Unless you are a content creator - the phone is undoubtedly the best for that.
Apple Watch Ultra vs Series 11? Purely a style decision. Hell, even the SE has the same chip.
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro? The Air is actually the smarter decision for many.
iPad Air vs iPad Pro? Pro is for those that want the best of Apple's tech. But most just don't need that. Either way, you are still in the ecosystem.
With so many options and phones out there, bragging rights don't matter anymore. Just buy what you want.
Me - in terms of the phone, the bragging right may just be holding on to my 16 Pro Max. Holding on to good tech that works for you and not getting sucked into the annual upgrade cycle may be the ultimate bragging right.
The Air almost feels like a decoy to get more people to consider the Pro instead of the base 17. If the base 17, Air, and 17 Pro all weighed the same, no one would pick the middle option. It is just there to muddy the decision and convince you to spend more. It makes the price gap feel smaller by creating a third option that they don't expect most people to pick. It feels like an experiment from Dan Ariely.
Okay, I'll bite. 😆
I can see why you think that, but it's not the case.
In fact, I've said repeatedly that I want to give the Air's form factor a go because having carefully assessed the compromises, I think I want the lighter, thinner, titanium form factor more.
But I've also said I could easily see myself missing the extra/better cameras, and exchanging back for the Pro model if I miss them. I just want to try it for myself first, hold it for myself, and make that decision. I'm a sucker for new form factors, and this one is the most exciting since iPhone X - or maybe 12 Pro at a push.
I think it's great the Air exists to do the thin/sexy thing so that the Pro can, without restriction, really beef up on the amazing pro advancements to push the limits of what they're capable of (but with their own compromises, eg getting thicker once again, going back to aluminium for cooling reasons, etc etc).
You're right, it's not that deep bro - but this is an Apple discussion forum so you'd expect people to deep dive on Apple related subjects. 😊
In a year or two, the iPhone mini PTSD support group (of which I’m a member) will welcome the iPhone Air folks with open arms, “Hi, my name is [say your name], and I’m an iPhone Air owner.” It’s a long road of justifying (to yourself and anonymous others on a message board) why you paid premium money for a phone lacking in premium features… not to mention school-aged girls in grocery stores pointing and giggling as you grab your iPhone Air (dangling from your CrossBody Strap) to make an Apple Pay purchase. The embarrassment and crash out is real. To quote legendary wrestler Kurt Angle: Oh, it’s true. It’s damn true!
P.S. If Apple ever releases a mini that looks exactly like the Air with all the features, two speakers, and modestly less battery life, it’s a Day One purchase for me, baby!
P.S. If Apple ever releases a mini that looks exactly like the Air with all the features, two speakers, and modestly less battery life, it’s a Day One purchase for me, baby!
The Mini was more feature packed than the Air IMO, in terms of feature parity with the base model of the corresponding year. The Air has fewer features than the 17 base phone. The Mini also cost less than the base 12/13, while the Air costs more. The one difference here is the Air has a slightly bigger screen than the 17, while the Mini obviously had a smaller screen.
I'll say this, I tried the 12 Mini because I loved the idea of a phone on par with the base model in a smaller, lighter form factor and holding it was really glorious, plus it practically disappeared in my pocket. Unfortunately between battery life and the fact that the smaller body meant my fingers frequently crept into the bottom of photos, it wasn't a keeper for me. The Air I won't even be considering, I'd take the base 17 over it in a heartbeat.
You’re right, most Pro buyers aren’t using Apple Log, ProRAW, or doing 8K video workflows. They just wanted the “maxed out” bragging rights. With the Air around, suddenly their “top-tier” status feels less clear. That explains the weird energy online defensive posts, “gotcha” tests, and bending over backwards to prove the Air has flaws.
It’s less about specs and more about ego soothing.
It’s less about specs and more about ego soothing.
I mean, I think this comment is too simplistic too. Yes, it will take excellent photos. But that should be expected on any phone in this price range. That’s table stakes. I think the question a lot of people will have to decide on is “am I willing to compromise and accept a worse camera than what I would find on other $1000 smartphones” — and depending on what you are upgrading from, it could be a worse camera for your use cases than what you had before.
Now, a lot of people won’t demonstrably notice a difference going back to a single camera and losing the wide angle lens ans the telephoto. But if you’ve had phones for years that had two or three cameras, losing that while still paying $1000 for the phone is going to give some folks pause. Whereas some won’t care at all.
But I don’t think we can or should just dismiss the camera compromises with “it will still take great photos” — because that should be a given. The question that buyers will need to determine for themselves is, “is this camera going to be ‘good enough’ for how I take photos” and maybe secondarily, “am I OK having this as my camera for the next however many years.” For people like my husband, I don’t think he’d care. And the larger screen is what might end up pushing him to the Air (he has a 14 Plus now and is due for an upgrade). But he rarely takes photos. He doesn’t even want to get a new phone so maybe we just sit it out (tho that feels silly if I can get him one basically for free). But for people like my sister, who has a 4 year old, I don’t think she’d be happy with an Air for her photo needs, even tho she’s on a 13 Pro Max or something.
This is a very good video which discusses the philosophical question about phones which iPhone Air has brought up. Even if you don't watch the whole thing, the words in the first 50 seconds sum it up perfectly:
"A high-end phone weighs a little more than 200 g. It has three cameras, maybe even more, and a huge screen, massive battery, and a powerful processor. It's heavy, and it's way too big to really fit into any of your pockets. But phones weren't always like that.
The one you had maybe 12 or 13 years ago, it had a screen half that size, only one camera, and it was light and small enough to slip into any pocket. It was awesome. So, how did we get here where your options are big or bigger? Has all the extra stuff crammed into our phones been worth it?
And if you could go back to a simpler, lighter phone, would you do it? Or would it be too hard to let go of the things we've gotten used to? That's the thousand question asked by one very thin device, the iPhone Air."
Recommend giving it a full watch. It's a balanced take more people should take heed of which doesn't take a side.
I was buying Pro Max models because of the larger display, pro video features and overall status. However, after years of buying the Pro Max models, I found that I never used them for professional videos (I have dedicated Nikon camera for that), the max storage never was full and I don't ever care for triple cameras. Air has advantage of being light and thin and I think its sole camera will do the job. I don't care for anyone's opinion (even less so for giggling girls) and I think it is time for me to try a newer Air. In fact, I moved from heavy Macbook Pro to Macbook Air M4 and enjoying it, so why not to repeat that with iPhone? I am not going to film anything professional with iPhone so the video-heavy features of Pro are really not that important for me. I dont game too on iPhone (got iPad Air for that and PS5), so bigger GPU of Pro is also irrelevant for me. I charge phone every night on stand so the smaller battery doesn't bother me too. However, the reduced weight is a great bonus. There was a point that Apple over years made its budget offering having more value- and I agree with that. I guess it is time to enjoy less powerful but still perfectly working iPhone Air. Better value for money for me.
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I think the Pros will continue to be the ‘stylish’ model though. There’s too much uncertainty around the new Air, I think most non-tech savvy people will avoid it.
How would non-tech savvy people even know to avoid it in the first place?
My 16 pro max is black and thats as pro as it gets. I dont have an issue with orange but when I play it out in my head, it's hard to see people using it. I dont think ive seen anything in orange at work.
