Apple’s iPhone Air is an impressive feat of engineering, but that hasn’t exactly translated into explosive sales. According to a new report from South Korea-based site The Elec, Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid lower-than-expected demand. Citing an analyst at Mizuho Securities, the report reports that iPhone Air production could be reduced by approximately 1 million units.
However, this should not be interpreted as iPhone demand declining. By contrast, interest in the entry-level iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro remains incredibly strong, with both models proving to be more popular than the ultra-thin iPhone Air. At this point, Apple is reportedly increasing iPhone 17 production by 2 million units, iPhone 17 Pro production by 1 million units, and iPhone 17 Pro Max production by 4 million units. In total, overall iPhone 17 sales appear to be quite strong, which is in line with previous reports we’ve seen in recent weeks.
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Apple’s iPhone 17 remains difficult to find
To be honest, Apple reducing production of the iPhone Air isn’t very surprising. While the device is impressively lightweight and feels great in the hand, the value proposition offered by the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models is simply hard to beat. In fact, many have said that this year’s iPhone 17 is the best entry-level iPhone in years. As an illustrative example, battery life (as measured by video playback) on the iPhone 16 was a modest 2 hours longer than the iPhone 15. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 supports up to 30 hours of video playback compared to the iPhone 16, which supports 22 hours of video playback. That’s a significant jump.
Speaking of the popularity of the iPhone 17, shipping estimates for some configurations are still stuck at 2-3 weeks in the US, UK, France, Switzerland, China, and Japan. If you want to get an iPhone 17 as quickly as possible, you’re better off going for the 256GB model, as the 512GB model seems to be in short supply.
It’s also worth noting that iPhone 17 pre-orders in China this year reportedly broke records. Additionally, iPhone 17 pre-orders in China during the first minutes of availability reportedly exceeded the volume of iPhone 16 pre-orders in its first 24 hours of availability. Apple is famous for not breaking down iPhone sales data by model type, but we’ll likely get additional information from the company when it holds its quarterly earnings conference call later this month.
Apple doesn’t need the iPhone Air to be a huge success
Illuminated Apple logo – Cheng Xin/Getty Images
It’s important to note that Apple’s iPhone Air doesn’t have to be a huge success. Arguably it was never designed to be. After all, the device occupies a unique and somewhat peculiar place in Apple’s product line. Consider that the device is more expensive than the iPhone 17 but has a less impressive camera setup than the iPhone 17 Pro. When it comes to pricing and features, the iPhone Air is in no man’s land.
But that doesn’t matter, because the device itself is a kind of prelude to the long-rumored foldable iPhone. To this end, Bloomberg reported last month that the foldable iPhone, when open, will resemble “two titanium iPhone Airs side by side.”
In a sense, the iPhone Air is a proof of concept. It represents Apple’s continued efforts to develop an incredibly thin form factor without having to sacrifice processing power or battery life. The innovations that were incorporated into the iPhone Air will likely migrate to the foldable iPhone. If all goes according to plan, Apple will launch a foldable iPhone as part of its 2026 iPhone lineup. However, a recent report indicates that the launch could be delayed until 2027, as Apple has not yet decided on a final design for key components.
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