Ok I stand corrected and all Air products are better than the Pro’s. I won’t add anymore as it’s not a debate for me, and you don’t want to be drawn in anyway.
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iPhone Air iPhone Air Lack of Popularity
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You were never an iPhone Pro customer though if weight is the single feature that is the most important to you. You have never bought a Pro for the spec advantages, because your definition of ‘best’ is related to ergonomics and weight.
I buy the Pro devices for the better cameras. I was never bothered by the supposed premium materials tripe, but on paper, the Pro iPhone has always been the most capable. Of course, best is subjective to the person who has selective tastes, but capability overall dictates what product is better, whether anybody needs everything it offers or not. We buy what we like and what suits our needs at the end of the day.
I don’t see the appeal of the iPhone Air. It recycles an old design with the only real change being that it’s thinner. The tradeoff is worse battery life, which is why Apple released a battery pack accessory. It’s also missing a speaker and a camera. And with its relatively large footprint, the thinness hardly feels like an advantage. I’m not surprised that no one is talking about it.
Agree that this demographic will determine its overall “popularity” and sales figures.
However, I remain unconvinced that it will sell very well with them.
Because while these non-Techies might not know about wireless standards, they know about $200 plus tax.
Or $400. And whether they’ll be willing to spend it.
$599 for a 16e feels almost half the price of a $999 Air.
And both of them have just one camera lens on the back, so they look somewhat equivalent in that regard.
They also weigh the same, basically.
- The Air has last year’s processor? “Either will be good enough for me, my current iPhone is several years old.
- Thinner, you say? “It’s just two millimetres and I’ll be keeping it in a case anyway”
- “That thing is awfully thin - what about the battery life? Less than the normal iPhone 17, you say?”
- “So what’s the other differences to the normal iPhone 17? One camera less? And I can save 200 bucks on the standard model?”
- And the larger screen size? It’s not game-changingly bigger than the 17 and 16e - nor the Pro Max, let alone Android’s “Fold” and “XL” competition. And the “Plus” models targeted at more mainstream customers haven’t been reported to have sold that well either.
Which leaves the Air in an awkward position at its price point, IMO.
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I still wonder why Apple didn't just produce a charging case like the old charging case they had for the iPhone 6S? That way, such a charging case will allow wired USB Type C charging on both the charging case battery and iPhone batter simultaneously, then when you're using the phone with the case it discharges the case battery first before discharging the iPhone battery.
Because people either don’t want to use a case, or don’t want to have to deal with buying two cases and/or having to put cases off and on.
Which is too bad because the iPhone Air was one of those phones that could use that type of battery case. I'm not a fan of MagSafe battery packs at times.
It would be good to have the choice between both, of course.
This is totally a hand size thing. I can Air and ProMax one handed. My wife can barely use the pro one handed. It's literally going to be different for every person.
I feel that most people will always either opt for the lest expensive option (the 17) or the most powerful and premium (the Pro). The Air just happens to fall in between those two things. And as amazing and sleek as it looks, I don't think that many people were stressing over their phone not being thin enough. I'd bet that far more people stress about their phone not having enough battery life.
All that being said, I doubt that the Air will be considered a flop. The fact that it's not sold out doesn't mean that it's not successful.
All that being said, I doubt that the Air will be considered a flop. The fact that it's not sold out doesn't mean that it's not successful.
Id love this mustang but in woodsy green
Well I think it's all up to what you really need vs want question! Because most people don't need a max out Pro Max. Most people it's sufficient with normal iPhone 17 or Air, when it comes to performance in every day life.
Air will be a success, giv it time. I love the Air and it reminds me of my iPhone X, that my daughter still use today.
Air will be a success, giv it time. I love the Air and it reminds me of my iPhone X, that my daughter still use today.
But you are forgetting that most people don’t purchase their phones outright, they use carrier plans, subsidies, and trade-in bonuses.
The actual difference between the regular and the air will likely end up being $5 or so a month for your average consumer.
And there you go again, getting lost in the spec race.
Most customers are not going to know how many millimeters a phone is no matter what, the point is that when they are in the store, the Air *looks* noticeably sleeker, shinier and more futuristic, and *different* then all of the other phones. That is what will be noticed.
You can argue about the efficacy all day long, but the truth is that the way something *looks* is just as, if not even more, important than the specifications.
Agreed. Furthermore, it's not only cost, but 17 is also the safest option for most customers.
Visitors to the Apple Store see:
- Battery life: 27 hours - 30 hours - 33 hours - 39 hours
- Air only has one camera. Unless they're still using iPhone 8 or XR, they're coming from two cameras.
Normal people do not go for the model with the lowest battery life nor a single camera because it's the riskiest choice. Being sleek only goes so far.
The initial Air pre-orders and first weekend are even more representative of overall Air sales than later on. People buying Air are risk takers, leading edge customers, willing to upgrade just for the sake of trying new stuff.
The customers buying later are replacing their phones not because they want to, but because their existing phone is slow and has a dead battery.
Nope that is not what I said at all. Shrugs. You wondered why this conversation wasnt occurring with the iPad Air or the MacBook Air. I pointed out it was. Because it is. As for 'better'. 'Better' is such a silly word for anyone to use with any product without first defining the judging criteria. If people have to 'have the best' and declare a king, thats a sign of needing confirmation. That runs rampant in MR. The reality is the reason we have choice at all is what is better for you, may or may not be better for someone else. Like me. Have a nice day.
That may be true in the U.S. I know several European countries/carriers though that have reduced or eliminated carrier subsidies. People increasingly buy their phones outright,
And again, if we’re talking average Joe (in question - not an enthusiast that upgrades every 1-2 years) hat buys a standard model iPhone every couple of years, his trade-in value will be a two figure amount. Not much.
Would it make a difference anyway? Say there’s a carrier subsidy of $15 a month over a 24-month period. As well as a residual trade-in value if $150 for an old phone. The difference between $599 and $999 would become $89 vs. $489.
That’s “almost free” (the equivalent of a not-to-fandy dinner for two) vs. a couple of hundreds of dollars. It only underlines the point.
Not really. I’m not saying average users will get down to every spec.
But when someone price-conscious is faced with a binary purchasing decision (Air vs. or 17), they are likely to ask “well… what would I be getting for paying more?”
But my point is: many simply won’t care.
If both phones were the same price - yes, probably.
But they aren’t - there’s a considerable price difference.
At which potential point buyers will ask what they’re getting from the more expensive choice.
Second important point:
Second important point: Most use their phone in a protective case anyway - and they know it. Which further reduces thr perceived sleekness and difference in thinness between both models.
And so is the price, for casual users.
I agree with you that casual users that are willing to pay any price may largely favour the Air.
I just don’t agree with the assumption that many of them are as price-insensitive.
Sadly had to return. See pictures.
I only had the iPhone Air 2 hours, never in the pocket or taken outside, just did transfer from my old iPhone. One side near bottom was scuffed. Didn’t notice until later. Not sure if this just a manufacturing fault or just something that might happen to the coating. Decided to get my money back and wait to see if others have similar issues before buying again.
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…and Apple having announced - or a salesperson recommending - a tailor-made battery pack made specifically for (only) that phone simultaneously on release isn’t going to help with that perception.
I don’t know an appropriate car comparison - but a car manufacturer preemptively announcing an accessory to address range insufficiencies with its newest model of electric car… I don’t know. 🤷🏻♂️ Doesn’t inspire confidence.
Considering the level of engineering that went into the Air, that’s a rather oversimplified way to frame it.
Yep you are right, perception rules the minds of the weak. Shrugs. It is specific for the Air because of the Air's unique shape. One second of googling tells you that. Are you going to say because there were battery packs released with the Pro Max in years past its battery was a problem? So much information available, so little critical thinking. It's a problem.
Thats not exactly fair. The weight of the pro series began as tolerable for most, but each revision subjects us to something heavier and more unwieldy and Apple are not interested in keeping this under control. Everyone has a limit, mine was the 16 Pro Max. Design appears to be going backwards too.l just look at the state of the 17 Pro series.