iPhone Air production has been dialled down dramatically by Apple according to latest reports, with the reason being cited as the poor performance of the device in most markets. While the slimmest iPhone hasn’t been able to gain traction, the rest of the three iPhone 17 series models have been doing well.
Reports from multiple outlets like ‘The Elec’ and ‘Nikkei Asia’ suggest that iPhone Air production has been scaled back, with some hinting that it could be cut down by 1 million units which is a big number for Apple. Some analysts say that users are preferring the models they know over the newly introduced iPhone Air, which is why perhaps the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max have been the top priority for new buyers and those upgrading from older iPhones.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X, saying that “Most suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80% by 1Q26, while some components with longer lead times are expected to be discontinued by the end of 2025.” This suggests that the existing Pro series and standard models are mostly enough to cater to high-end user demand, “leaving little room to carve out new market segments and positioning — as previous attempts with the mini, Plus, and now Air models have all failed to gain traction.”
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On the other hand, production for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro have been increased by Apple due to much superior performance than previous iPhones and of course, the iPhone Air. Per reports, orders for the base model have been increased by around 5 million units, with additional production planned for the Pro variants, too.
A counterpoint report indicates that the iPhone 17 series performance surpassed the 16 series by about 14% during the first 10 days of sales across China and the U.S. The standard iPhone 17 was holding the majority portion in this growth. That could be due to the improvements Apple has made to the standard iPhone 17 this year, especially with the introduction of ProMotion 120Hz displays and AOD support. This could also be the reason why people are going for the standard 17 instead of the iPhone Air as it could be a safer choice for them.
