Why the iPhone Air Exists

In their all-important September event, Apple unveiled a new kind of iPhone. Instead of the usual numerical classification that is given to their new phones, it was bestowed with its unusual name: the iPhone Air. Not the iPhone 17 Air, or iPhone 17a. Just plain iPhone Air. This might be a small step for most consumers, but dropping the numerical system is a big step for Apple. What is the significance for Apple to launch a thinner, sleeker, but compromised iPhone that warrants a completely new naming scheme?

Technology Progression

Before running through the reason, there’s something important that you should know, dear reader. All technology goes through four phases of progress. First, it comes out as a military secret. Then it became a government secret. And then it becomes a company secret. Finally, the technology will become a fashion statement for the masses.

Take the example of the evolution of the two-way radio. The earliest two-way radio was intended for commanders on the battlefields of World War 2 to communicate with their officers leading a company of men. Then, after the Great War, two-way radios were used by police officers and government officials to better coordinate their work. Then, when the rules for owning radios were relaxed, the use of the radio for companies to coordinate their communications, and the cell phone was born. Today, almost every teenager in America owns one, and just like having a fancy car or an expensive handbag, the smartphone, especially the iPhone, has become the raison d’etre of who you are. Your iPhone is a fashion statement that tells something about yourself.

iPhone Air As A Fashion Statement

The iPhone Air is another Apple attempt to create an iPhone that shouts about what kind of person you are. Just like in the early days, having a brick cell phone or a Blackberry tells you about your importance, having a superthin but functional iPhone tells how sophisticated you are.

Why Other 3rd Category iPhone failed

This is not the first rodeo for Apple to create a 3rd category of iPhones. Here are some of the reasons why it failed: The iPhone Mini screen is too small for some people. People are willing to go big. So Apple created the iPhone Plus. However, the Pluses were too close for the Pros to be considered different. With $100, people are willing to take the base Pro instead of spending money for increased storage on the Plus phone. Furthermore, there’s a whole new world of features that most people don’t use in the Pro models.

Why It’s Different This Time

No matter what people say, smartphones in general and the iPhone in particular are a very mature product. Egging people for choosing iPhone instead of Android is like egging people for choosing Chevy Silverado instead of the best-selling Ford F-150. It just does not make sense.

Apple is selling premium smartphones and is not interested in selling cheap iPhones. They do have those kinds of products, but that is not their main focus. Their focus now is on making the iPhone a lifestyle product. The gateway drug is the base iPhone. It’s there just to get you hooked on the platform. Once that, they wanted to branch out the path, just like Porsche did with their 911s.

Apple’s future strategy is to create two separate paths for iPhone ownership. For people who either wanted the iPhone as a tool or a fashion statement. The “Pro” in the iPhone Pro is for people who use the iPhone as a tool, while the “Air” is Apple’s attempt to make the iPhone a chic product. This way, they can focus the Pro to be more and more “Pro” by adding more and more features that the typical userbase won’t be interested in, like fine-tuning your aperture and frame rate settings, or shooting in Log to be edited in Final Cut Pro.

With the Pro models becoming more “Pro”, Apple is free to create another iPhone for people who want something more than their base iPhone but more functional and ultimately, more stylish. So here is why the iPhone Air exists.

There are also whispers that the iPhone Air is also a testbed for many future innovations for the future of iPhone, namely the first foldable iPhone. Yes, Apple has been working on it since Samsung unveiled its first foldable. Apple is never known for being first in class, but they definitely focus on being best in class.

Conclusion: Will It Work This Time?

The iPhone Air is the latest attempt in Apple’s long-term goal of having a diversified and successful iPhone lineup. They are looking to boost their sales number and appeal beyond being professional, capable tools in the hands of amateurs. The thing about Apple that most people do not realize is that Apple is a giant company. They can afford to launch a product that flops over and over again.

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Other Ecosystem Items

• Apple TV (Amazon) / Apple TV 4K (Amazon)
• AirTags (Amazon)
• HomePod Mini (Amazon)