I'm going to add +1 to the crowd that thinks that almost no one ever said "Nice, but I wish it was thinner". Who would that be really? Surely apple made their market research before spending the R&D money creating this product. So presumably there is a market segment for it. But who is it?

The standard 17 and Pro seems very much the great product they always are. Incremental refinement. Don't like it? Get one 1-2 generations older. My iPhone 11 still feels very much good enough (which I imagine must be terrible for Apple). Perhaps their idea is that you can't just refine the 15-16-17 every year. You need to try _something_ else, or eventually people will stop paying attention?

This is total speculation on my uninformed part, but to me, the Air seems like the result of their research into foldables. The way hardware is laid out in that upper area is very reminiscent of the Flip category from other manufacturers with their a-symmetric halfs and considering Apple is a very efficiency focused company these days, letting that effort linger till display tech catches up to whatever Apple is waiting for, would feel like a waste perhaps.

Also, as long as we retain an actual Pro version that is willing to be a bit chunkier, I don't see any issue in having an Air line for casual users, maybe that will be the way mainstream devices go with future efficiency gains, similar to the MacBook Air now being "good enough" for most people. Silicon-carbon batteries will likely enable some of that pretty soon, suspect that like with GaN, the supply chain cannot handle Apple level demands yet. Remember, the original three MacBook Airs were beyond compromised too.

Just don't fall into the trap of making the Pro thinner, akin to the 2016 MacBook Pro disaster. Keep the iPhone Pros like the current MacBook Pros chunky for those who actually use these devices and we are golden in my book.

> My iPhone 11 still feels very much good enough (which I imagine must be terrible for Apple)

I think Apple has come to terms with the fact that people are no longer upgrading their phones every 1-2 years. They are probably happy just to keep you in the Apple ecosystem where they can sell you apps, services, accessories, other compatible apple products - and hopefully get your repeat business when you do one day feel the need to upgrade.

The issue with size I have with phones is that they are too high, so I cannot have it in my jeans front pocket and then sit down.

Thinness has not been an issue in the last 10-15 years.

A thin phone is also very hard to hold, it kind of flips in your hand.

I’d very much prefer a phone that’s shaped like a slab (smooth back), no weird camera plateaus and no sad excuse for a battery, but something that can last days.

I have 14 Max, and it is so heavy. I don’t mind the thickness, but the weight is very annoying.

So while I didn’t say “I wish my phone was thinner”, I did say many times “this should weigh about half of what it actually weighs”.

It's not just about thin. It's also about weight. The Air has a bigger screen but weighs less than the iPhone 17.

I have an XS and wanted to upgrade. But I still don't see a super appealing reason. Battery still decent at 72%. Photos still good enough. browsing fast, apps fast...

It is the best iPhone I owned (3, 6s).

But yeah, spotlight is slow and the phone constantly runs out of storage, so apps need to be deleted before installing updates and least used apps are constantly removed. Additionally the screens are way better now and you do see the difference with photos made on an iPhone 16. I guess I'll upgrade late this year when I am sure the 17 (pro?) is a reliable piece of hardware, like my iPhone XS is.

Agree. I don’t understand the teen of making the phones thinner but larger. I guess I’m part of the small demographics that love the mini, hope my mini 12 have a couple or more years of live in it.

Some people just want "the best" regardless of what it is. If you can improve a measurable spec on a luxury device, some people will covet it.

People who have no concept of material resistance who will come crying when their phone folds very easily with accidental day to day mishaps

When you need to stack 2 phones together because you're oncall, because you're a streamer, etc.

Honestly I do. I want it thinner and lighter. I don’t use my phone very much so I don’t care about battery very much nor do I about any kind of specs. Wait… yeah that’s why I won’t buy it I love my iPhone 13 mini

I've ever owned an iPhone and probably never will, but I very much like smaller, lighter, thinner. For a device that stays with you all day, the less cumbersome the better, no?