I wonder if this is due to Apple releasing the same phone every year that people are so use to the same phone and like things to be familiar? I can’t think of any other reason to be honest. Pre iPhone lots of people went for Blackberry and Nokia which never always had the best feature but had a great design but maybe after a decade of the same phones every year people are simply not use to buying one based on design?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Weaker demand for Air and fold
- Thread starter gadget123
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
A lot of the general public only care about cameras and battery life. The Air is solid in both of those, but a narrative came up even before the phone was released that it couldn't possibly have usable battery life and that only a single camera is simply ridiculous in this day and age. That narrative hasn't helped. Apple's lack of marketing the phone hasn't helped. The price hasn't helped relative to others released this year.
The narrative was exaggerated, but at the end of the day, the camera is less versatile than the 17 and 17 Pro, and the battery is not going to last as long as those same phones, all while being close in price to the Pro, and 25% more expensive than the 17. The only thing that could get it over the hump is a serious marketing push, which they aren't doing at all... yet. 🤷♂️
Even a huge marketing push isn't going to change the facts. People want a second camera lens. People want the best battery life they can get today, not the lowest in the lineup. They want stereo speakers.
I bought the Air due to its design and weight. I had hit my breaking point with the 16 Pro as I hated the design and how heavy it was. The Air is the reason I am still using an iPhone. If I hadn’t liked it I was already shopping for a Samsung S series phone and was deciding between the S25 and S25 Edge for my next phone.
Yeah you're probably right, but it's definitely not helping that there's been literally no advertising for it so far.
There seems to be a massive disconnect between people who have used/own the Air and the rest of the internet. The biggest anti Air people are the ones that have never used one.
While that's true, ads help only a very tiny bit. The base 17 isn't getting any ads, yet it's persistently out of stock. Apple is the most recognized brand in the world, up there with Coca-Cola. Any ad for 17 Pro/Max will lead people to Apple's website regardless.
Absolutely this right here. Everybody that is bashing the phone and listing its "compromises" never used the phone and are spreading misinformation. I use the Air everyday and the speaker, camera, and battery life are all really good on this phone. People read a spec sheet and thinks that makes them technology experts I guess. The Air passes the real world test.
The Air also has one big feature that the Pro's don't have and that people don't want to acknowledge: It feels good in the hand and thus is enjoyable to use. The Pro models in my opinion don't have that.
Last edited:
if I didn't just get a 16 pro last year I would get the air 100%
and if the air didn't exist I would get the 17
I always thought the triple camera thing is redundant and unnecessary because I have real cameras, and I only ever use the main camera on my 16 pro because the other 2 suck
I rarely use the speaker as well, I'm never going to watch any movie on speaker anyway so it doesn't need a second speaker.
battery life is sufficient for me, even with 80% charge limit so the air will also be fine. I guess people who always want more battery life are just too addicted to their phones.
The only reason I have been getting the pro was because of the screen and RAM.
and if the air didn't exist I would get the 17
I always thought the triple camera thing is redundant and unnecessary because I have real cameras, and I only ever use the main camera on my 16 pro because the other 2 suck
I rarely use the speaker as well, I'm never going to watch any movie on speaker anyway so it doesn't need a second speaker.
battery life is sufficient for me, even with 80% charge limit so the air will also be fine. I guess people who always want more battery life are just too addicted to their phones.
The only reason I have been getting the pro was because of the screen and RAM.
It was pretty much the same thing with the iPhone mini, and that was during the pandemic when people didn’t visit stores much for physical hands-on. Though to be honest I don’t know if more ads would have improved sales that much in either case.
The thing is, three quarters of iPhone unit sales are for the Pro and Pro Max, so that’s what’s getting advertised, because it gives the most sales bang for the advertising buck.
Which is why I think Sony, who makes everything needed and isn't afraid to do its own thing, should Frankenstein a high end point and shoot camera with a phone on the back screen. Replaceable batteries and memory cards a plus.
Did you read the sentence about "general public"? Memory cards in 2025 is something I only expect by r/linux