Since pre-orders opened last Friday, most iPhones have slipped to a 2–3 or 3–4 week delivery forecast, except for the iPhone Air, which remains available on launch day in every configuration but one.
A bit of context
Earlier this year, The Information reported that, due to demand uncertainty for what turned out to be the iPhone Air, Apple was dedicating just 10% of iPhone manufacturing capacity to this model. The publication said that the standard iPhone 17 would account for 25% of total production, the iPhone 17 Pro for 25%, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the remaining 40%.
At the time, rumors were riding high about a significantly smaller battery capacity, which would make the slim iPhone unappealing for a large portion of the public, who wouldn’t be able to go a full day without having to recharge the device:
The percentage of users who can go a single day without recharging the thin phone will be between 60% and 70%. For other models, that metric is between 80% and 90%, one of the people said.
To solve this, Apple is developing an optional accessory—a phone case meant for the thin model that also contains a battery pack, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Apple announces the iPhone Air
After the Awe Dropping event, it feels fair to say that the initial reception to the iPhone Air was overall positive. Apple did its best to minimize the unavoidable battery hit for a device this thin, and its design seemed to have drawn more praise than criticism.
The iPhone Air has also been the focus of most interviews with Apple executives, from CEO Tim Cook to the now-famous moment when Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak threw a demo unit to Tom’s Guide’s Lance Ulanoff, who unsuccessfully tried to bend it.
Despite the initially positive reception and Apple’s efforts to promote the iPhone Air as a non-Pro iPhone Pro, it seems that public interest hasn’t lived up to what Apple had been planning for.
Four days into the pre-order window, the iPhone Air is still available for day-one delivery in all colors and sizes, except the 512GB Cloud White, which has slipped to a 2–3 week estimate.
By contrast, several variants of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max fell to that same 2–3 week window within minutes of availability, with some models now back-ordered until late October.
Does this mean the iPhone Air is a flop? Not necessarily.
It is obviously absolutely way too early to make any assumptions of that sort.
But while there may be several possible explanations for why the iPhone Air is still available on day one, it seems that one way or another, demand appears to be below what Apple had prepared for.
It may very well be that most potential customers are waiting for the reviews, to make sure the tradeoffs aren’t as severe as some early critics are making them out to be. It may be that most potential customers will try to get their hands on an iPhone Air before deciding whether to make the jump. It may be that once these phones hit the shelves, the situation will flip, and the iPhone Air will become the hardest to find.
Maybe.
One thing we know for sure is that this has nothing to with the delayed iPhone Air launch in China, since they’re completely different models (A3260 in the US, A3518 in China), with completely different 5G and LTE bands. So Apple wouldn’t be able to sell the Chinese iPhone Air in the US (or vice-versa), even if it wanted to.
The fact of the matter is taht nearly a week into pre-orders, it feels like this is one of those rare occasions when getting a new iPhone on day one feels easier than we’ve seen in a long time, or even easier than it should be, from Apple’s perspective. Whether that’s a bad sign, the coming weeks will surely tell.
Do you think demand for the iPhone Air is weaker than Apple had anticipated? Let us know in the comments.
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