It's not about the thickness — this is surely Apple just flexing some of the engineering work that has gone into building a future foldable phone (which inevitably requires thinner hardware to fit two screens in the thickness of one).

So don't take this at face value, it's just a prelude to a foldable phone next year.

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zemvpferreira 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

I agree but cynicism makes me think it’s a beta, not a flex. Shipping half your next flagship phone to learn about manufacturing, durability etc etc in the real world is kind of genius.

	▲	Schiendelman 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		Exactly what they did with Vision Pro. Ship a beta to collect feedback.

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aurareturn 5 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Probably right because it’s called iPhone Air and not iPhone 17 Air. Seems like this is a one off phone.

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llm_nerd 5 days ago | parent [-]

They often discard with the version number for the first release of a product bifurcating, and from then on it follows its own version path.

The first Apple Watch Ultra wasn't the Apple Watch Series 8 Ultra. Subsequent Ultras follow their own versioning. The same with the SE, Air Pod Pros, iPad Air, and so on.

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djfdat 5 days ago | parent [-]

Yeah, the next one wouldn't be the iPhone 18 Air, it would be the iPhone Air 2.

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aurareturn 5 days ago | parent [-]

Yea, that'd make no sense in my opinion. Calling it iPhone Air 2 and then iPhone 18 Pro Max. Just confuses people.

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llm_nerd 5 days ago | parent [-]

Yet that's precisely what Apple has done repeatedly across product lines. Just yesterday they introduced the Apple Watch Series 11, and its low cost variant the Apple Watch SE 3. They also introduced the ruggedized larger variant the Ultra 3.

	▲	mrheosuper 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		>Apple has done repeatedly across product lines But there is no macbook pro 2, macbook air 2, or iphone se 2

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linhns 5 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I’d place a bet that Apple does not go down the foldable route, they must have seen what happened with Samsung and their Z Fold. Much hyped but turned out to be somewhat of a dud.

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heresie-dabord 5 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> prelude to a foldable phone next year

Or perhaps a prelude to small, triangle-shaped phone that users stick on a shirt or lapel, and tap to activate.

https://startrekshop.ca/products/star-trek-the-next-generati...

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zenmac 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Yeah I was first very excited to see a smaller iPhone again, but was very very disappointing that is about the thickness.

NO BODY cares about the thickness!!! I want something that I can hold like the iPhone 5!!!! Or iPod touch size!! Don't want a big screen to watch netflix!!!

This is freaking phone for god sake, back in the old iphone days there were a balance.

Stuff like this is what turns me back to dump phone. I want a phone, not a freaking computer in my hand!