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iPhone 17 Weaker demand for Air and fold
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I've said this in another thread, but not only will there be another iPhone Air, it'll be the "standard" phone next year. The Air isn't a test run for the foldable, it's getting people ready for it being the "main" option next year.
Multiple rumors say the mainline "iPhone 18" is coming out in Spring 2027, not Fall 2026. I predict the lineup next year:
This allows Apple to raise prices without raising prices. Air 2 stays the same price, but the cheapest phone you can buy in the fall will start at $100 more than it did this year. And if people are worried about battery life or whatever and get upsold to an 18 Pro, that's great from Apple's perspective.
- iPhone Ultra (Foldable) - $1999+
- iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max - $1099/$1199
- iPhone Air 2 (now with second camera, second speaker, and maybe improved battery) - $999
- iPhone 18 replaces the "e" line, comes out in spring - $799 ($699 option goes away)
Feel free to bookmark and come back and laugh at me in 11 months if I'm wrong
The big problem with that theory is we knew about split launches all the way back in 2019. So it can’t possibly have anything to do the with iPhone Air.
Split launches were already planned for 2021 because Apple introduced four devices in 2020. There was a Pro/Max and mini/base line up. Apple would launch Pro stuff first then regular models in the spring. But one leg of the table failed - the iPhone mini.
Today, we finally have four stable legs again iPhone Pro/Max, iPhone base, and annual launches of iPhone E. The iPhone Air has nothing to do with split launches. How could it, given its apparent commercial failure?
Analyst: Apple to Release Four iPhones in Fall 2020 With 5G Connectivity and OLED Displays
Apple will release four new iPhone models during its fall update cycle, all of which will support 5G connectivity, according to JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee (via CNBC). Based on channel checks, Chatterjee believes Apple will release a 5.4-inch iPhone, two 6.1-inch iPhones, and one 6.7-inch...
www.macrumors.com
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First of all I prefaced with IIRC(If I recall correctly, in this case I can admit I wasn't correct), I never stated that it was a matter of fact. I'd just assume that it sold worst than the White/Black and Pros at the time simply because when I was in college I never saw one. Second I never said that THIS Air was ready for primetime. And the speakers are terrible, junk. And it needed at least a 2nd camera with a macro function.No, MacBook Air sold very well.
MacBook Air aflutter: demand stays strong, sold out often
Thintresting move, Steve! Be it marketing or design, the MacBook Air is hotter …arstechnica.com
MBA compromises made sense because the weight difference was very noticeable. It was 1-2 lbs lighter.
iPhone Air - we're talking only a 2 oz. difference, which for the compromises make no sense to most buyers.
I think my theory makes a lot more sense than just pushing back the 18 to the spring because we're also releasing the foldable. Especially if the Air 2 has a second camera, second speaker, and no competition with the 18 because it hasn't been released yet. The battery life is already equivalent per testing (I think the base 17 got 10 minutes more battery life than the Air in the video I watched), it just doesn't look like it on the spec sheet.The big problem with that theory is we knew about split launches all the way back in 2019. So it can’t possibly have anything to do the with iPhone Air.
Split launches were already planned for 2021 because Apple introduced four devices in 2020. There was a Pro/Max and mini/base line up. Apple would launch Pro stuff first then regular models in the spring. But one leg of the table failed - the iPhone mini.
Today, we finally have four stable legs again iPhone Pro/Max, iPhone base, and annual launches of iPhone E. The iPhone Air has nothing to do with split launches. How could it, given its apparent commercial failure?
Analyst: Apple to Release Four iPhones in Fall 2020 With 5G Connectivity and OLED Displays
Apple will release four new iPhone models during its fall update cycle, all of which will support 5G connectivity, according to JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee (via CNBC). Based on channel checks, Chatterjee believes Apple will release a 5.4-inch iPhone, two 6.1-inch iPhones, and one 6.7-inch...
But check back in 11 months! I'll happily admit I was wrong if I am.
Can’t find the video, as I side-clicked on it yesterday while watching something else. He was a white English-speaking guy, probably in his late 20s - early 30s, but I think I have remembered all of his main comments well.
Split launches are expected as the lineup grows. Does MacBook Pro launch at the same time as MacBook Air?
Additional features on the Air are a big "if." And at $999, consumers are likely cross shopping between Air and $1,099 Pro, not $799 base.
I'm happy to revisit in 12 months to see the outcome. But we've heard of this split launch rumor for a long time and it started way before Air or even Plus existed.
I was thinking about this earlier today - is cost even a main factor in purchase decisions these days given the vast majority of consumers (in the US at least) aren't buying iPhones outright? We're talking about the cost of a coffee or two per month in payments to go from a base 17 to a 17 PM. I think this is partially why the Pro line sells so well. "So I can get all the best features for $X more per month? I'll take that one."
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s the same here in the UK and presumable mainland Europe: most people just tank the cost over a 36 month contract, at which point an extra £3 doesn’t make much difference.
With regards to some of the above posts, the 16e and the SE before it sit at a valuable price point for Apple: corporate sales. They’ll be selling these by the pallet-load to businesses who want to issue staff phones who don’t want the security compromises of Android. Everyone at my workplace with a work phone has an SE2. They may not sell many to consumers but that’s not the point of its existence.
It would be a shame if the Air turns out to be a one-off. All you’re going to get for the next decade from owners like me is ‘why did they kill such a great device?!’. But it also might be an A/B test to see if the public cares more about design or utility. This will directly influence whether the iPhone 20 is a kitchen sink or a living room vase.
This is such a silly, silly argument.
First of all, we know this is not necessarily how Steve operates because he didn’t ever.
For the first three years, there was… Just the iPod, in white.
Then there was the iPod Mini in 2004
Then the iPod photo, iPod fourth generation and iPod color in 04/05, in addition to the black and red U2 special edition iPod, that wasn’t the top of the line iPod photo, but was the iPod fourth generation, the mid range model.
Then there was the iPod Shuffle.
Then the second generation iPod mini, which came in several colors.
Then the iPod Nano
Then the iPod video, which later became the iPod classic.
Then the iPod Hi-Fi
Then the iPod Touch.
Same thing with Macs, when it was first introduced, it was the Macintosh.
When Steve resigned in August 2011, there were six different lines of Mac including one that was offered in three different screen sizes.
Also.. there are literal emails from 2010 Steve Jobs, where he talks about wanting to expand the iPhone lineup to include a cheaper budget model based off of old iPod touch and 3GS parts, as well as a so called “iPhone4+”, an “iPhone Nano” and an iPhone with a bigger screen set for 2012.
This idea that Steve was somehow never going to expand The iPhone line has never ever made sense. It doesn’t track with how he ran apple between 1997 and 2011 which, a lot of the times, was very much a “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” product line, especially in the mid 2000s.
Compared to the iPod line between 2004 and 2006, the current iPhone line looks neat and tidy. I didn’t even mention the HP iPod…
Replace “Air” with “mini” here, and that’s word for word what mini users might be saying, so I’m sympathetic. Except that to me the Air still feels big/bulky in comparison to the mini, so it isn’t for me.
OP is being disingenuous, the 90 million units figure is simply about the remainder of 2025.
IE: Apple expects to ship 85 to 90,000,000 iPhone 17 series units between September and December 2025.
Indeed. Under Jobs, Apple was selling 4 iPod models concurrently. Each model had different capacities and at least 6 different colors. iPhone is sold in at least twice the number of countries that iPod was.
The idea that Jobs would have kept things simple is one of those romantic things that never go away.
I’m not sure it’ll happen exactly like that, but I widely agree with this sentiment.I've said this in another thread, but not only will there be another iPhone Air, it'll be the "standard" phone next year. The Air isn't a test run for the foldable, it's getting people ready for it being the "main" option next year.
Multiple rumors say the mainline "iPhone 18" is coming out in Spring 2027, not Fall 2026. I predict the lineup next year:
This allows Apple to raise prices without raising prices. Air 2 stays the same price, but the cheapest phone you can buy in the fall will start at $100 more than it did this year. And if people are worried about battery life or whatever and get upsold to an 18 Pro, that's great from Apple's perspective.
- iPhone Ultra (Foldable) - $1999+
- iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max - $1099/$1199
- iPhone Air 2 (now with second camera, second speaker, and maybe improved battery) - $999
- iPhone 18 replaces the "e" line, comes out in spring - $799 ($699 option goes away)
Feel free to bookmark and come back and laugh at me in 11 months if I'm wrong
The e, regular and Air are very close together in both price and functionality and target market, and I would expect one of them (likely the dual camera packing regular) to be completely replaced with the air as time goes on, just like the MacBook line before it, and just like how the iPad line is structured currently.
So then they will be the regular iPhone with one camera, no MagSafe, only available in black or white, much thicker design.
Then the by then much better air, not only thinner, lighter, more colorful then the regular, but also with a newer chip, likely dual cameras by that point and the fancy new high density battery.
So iPhone, iPhone Air, iPhone Pro, iPhone ultra
I feel like the 16e is one of the most overlooked iPhones in recent history…at least from an enthusiast point of view.
I guess it is mostly due to the 60Hz screen.
Well, Samsung has been selling to the fold and flip market segments for many years, which Apple so far has failed to cater to. Samsung also sells a health tracker ring which Apple doesn’t.
The last mono speaker iPhone was the 6S. That was released ten years ago.
So Apple is charging a premium price for speaker tech that was cutting edge ten years ago.
And that 6S speaker was larger as it was on the bottom.
Compared to the excellent vanilla iPhone 17, the Air is barely enticing IMO. It has a slightly larger screen and is 12 grams lighter. 🤷♂️
So Apple is charging a premium price for speaker tech that was cutting edge ten years ago.
And that 6S speaker was larger as it was on the bottom.
Compared to the excellent vanilla iPhone 17, the Air is barely enticing IMO. It has a slightly larger screen and is 12 grams lighter. 🤷♂️
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Well for a brand new model why would Apple put everything in it and risk people not buying another one for 2-3 years or longer? Apple wants people to upgrade every year and they do surveys to find out what people really want. The Air 2 at a minimum will have a Longer battery 🔋 life and they maybe will add a another speaker and then the following year they will add another camera. Gradual improvements. It takes time with a new Product line. It took the iPhone years to get to where it is today.
Because the risk is people don't buy it TODAY.
I got the Air after ALWAYS getting the 11 ProMax, the 12, the 13 the 14 the 15 the 16 version every year. I wanted the biggest screen, longest lasting battery, blah, blah, blah. in the end, I talk on the phone. I take more pics of my whiteboard than anything else, listen to music riding my motorcycle and I listen to my audiobooks. it's all about the use case. the Air is exactly what I was looking for. A++
I have an iPhone 8 in the house which has dual speakers but the sound clarity and loudness are way better on the Air’s single speaker, no contest. So I imagine it’s massively better than the 6s.
I’m sure Apple will be working on adding another speaker to the next Air (unless they pull it due to the low sales) but I doubt it after just one generation.
Apple did good with the base iPhone 17 and is a great choice this year with many improvements over the base 16 even though they look pretty much identical.
The Air does have a few advantages with the larger screen which feels a bigger difference than the 6.3” vs 6.5” numbers suggest (after using the 17 Pro) with a more durable and premium build using titanium, also the A19 Pro with 50% more RAM.
I’ve not held a base 17 but the 17 Pro which also has a 6.3” display felt chunky and heavy, and I just don’t want to go back to that personally after experiencing the Air’s sleek & light form factor with IMO the perfect screen size.
If Apple can add another camera or a single variable aperture camera, another speaker & a battery life uplift then the Air 2 will be superb.
I finally cracked the code of human classification on the Internet. There are three kinds and no other:
- One that hallucinates that everyone else is out to get them just because they use an iPhone Air: They are PFAS – "Prosecuted For Air Syndrome"
- Then there's those who find it weird why the hell anyone would use an iPhone Air: AD – "Air Deniers"
- And the third—the overwhelming majority—who couldn't care less and often wonder why the hell those two kinds are always on about iPhone Air. I will call them: TAB – " The Amused Bunch"
Outside is a better option for BT. But you think phone speakers are terrible on " every " phone? I asure you having tried both that the 17PM makes the Air sound like two tin cans connected by a string. 17Pm and the 16PM sounds like a small quality BT speaker.