Apple's iPhone Air was the company's most interesting new iPhone this year, at least insofar as it was most different from previous iPhones. In our review we were impressed with the size and weight. But early reports suggest the novelty may not translate into sales success.
A note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, whose supply chain sources are often accurate about Apple's future plans, said yesterday that demand for the iPhone Air “fell short of expectations” and that “both shipments and production capacity” were scaled back to account for lower-than-expected demand.
Kuo's comment is supported by reports from other analysts at Mizuho Securities (via MacRumors) and Nikkei Asia. Both reports say demand for the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models remains strong, indicating that just now an issue for the iPhone Air and not a broader delay caused by tariffs or other external factors.
The standard iPhone, regular iPhone Pro, and full-size iPhone Pro have all been mainstays in Apple's lineup, but the company has had a harder time coming up with a fourth phone that sells well enough to stay in business. The small-screen iPhone mini and large-screen iPhone Plus were each discontinued after two generations.
