Apple’s iPhone Air is an impressive feat of engineering, but it hasn’t exactly translated into explosive sales. According to a new report from South Korean website The Elec, Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air due to lower-than-expected demand. Citing an analyst at Mizuho Securities, the report said iPhone Air production could be cut by around 1 million units.
However, this should not mean that the demand for the iPhone is decreasing. In 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-slim iPhone Air. Apple is reportedly ramping up iPhone 17 production by 2 million units so far. units, iPhone 17 Pro – 1 million units, and iPhone 17 Pro Max – 4 million. Overall, iPhone 17 sales look pretty strong, which is in line with previous reports we’ve seen over the past few weeks.
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Apple’s iPhone 17 is still hard to find
The iPhone 17 range on display at Apple’s London retail store – Ming Yeung/Getty Images
In fact, it’s no surprise that Apple has reduced production of the iPhone Air. While the device is impressively light and feels great in the hand, the value proposition offered by the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models is simply hard to beat. Indeed, many have said that this year’s iPhone 17 is the best entry-level iPhone in years. For example, the iPhone 16’s battery life (measured for video playback) was 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. This is a significant leap.
As for the iPhone 17’s popularity, shipping estimates for some configurations in the US, UK, France, Switzerland, China, and Japan are still stuck at 2-3 weeks. If you want to get the iPhone 17 as soon as possible, it is better to go for the 256GB model, as the 512GB model seems to be missing.
It’s also worth noting that iPhone 17 pre-orders have reportedly broken records in China this year. In addition, the number of iPhone 17 pre-orders in China in the first few minutes of availability surpassed the number of iPhone 16 pre-orders in the first 24 hours. Of course, Apple doesn’t break down iPhone sales by model type, but we’ll likely get more 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 hit
Glowing Apple logo – Cheng Xin/Getty Images
It’s important to note that Apple’s iPhone Air doesn’t have to be a smash hit. Arguably, it was never built. 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 it doesn’t matter, because the device itself is like a prelude to the long-hovering foldable iPhone. To that end, Bloomberg reported last month that the unlocked foldable iPhone will resemble “two titanium iPhone Airs side by side.”
In a way, the iPhone Air is a proof of concept. This reflects Apple’s ongoing efforts to create an incredibly thin form factor without sacrificing processing power or battery life. The innovations that made it to the iPhone Air are likely to carry over to the foldable iPhone. If all goes according to plan, Apple will release a foldable iPhone as part of its 2026 iPhone lineup. However, a recent report claims that the launch could be pushed back to 2027 as Apple still hasn’t decided on the final design of the core components.
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