Another iPhone experiment has failed as Apple scaled back production of the iPhone Air, according to multiple sources. The lack of demand is understandable, as the Air, compared to even the base model 17, is a weird chaser of feathers. It’s just 12 grams lighter but 3 hours less battery life, one less camera, and only .2-inch of added screen estate. All of this for PHP 15,000 more is asking a lot.
To be fair, Apple has had successive attempts at a new iPhone line before. First was the bigger Plus during the iPhone 6 era. It then became the Max in 2018, before becoming the Pro Max just a year later. Since then, the standard iPhone, iPhone Pro, and Pro Max have become stable in Apple’s lineup.
But greed knows no bounds and they want to capture more and more of the market. They first tried to win over the lower budget segment with the iPhone 5C, which was a plastic iPhone that didn’t even live long. They then launched the iPhone SE which was a pet project more than anything as it took them years before updating it, before finally culling it in 2022. There’s also the iPhone Mini that only had 2 generations, and the iPhone Plus which just ended this year.
None of these phones were as disappointing – sales wise – as the iPhone Air though. Just what do people want as another iPhone option?
An ideal iPhone for 2026
As an iPhone user myself, and having been in many iPhone forums and subreddits, I can say there’s a strong demand for an iPhone that doesn’t have a camera bump but maintains the capabilities of the modern camera system up to the 3-cam setup. That camera bump not only leaves a mark in our pockets, it also makes the cameras susceptible to dings and scratches since it’s jutting out and we usually place our phones on a table. Sure there are phone cases but they only worsen the pocket problem since they have to be more protruding than the camera system.
Unlike the Air and the Mini, thickening the iPhone body to remove the camera bump will result in more room for a battery leading to longer life throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if the phone’s side profile is like the 17 Pro, the straight strip of the 13, or even the very curved one of the 6 era. It will be a sure hit as long as that camera bump disappears without compromising features. And as they have seen with the iPhone Air, people do not care for a slim phone.
Mac Things
Apple should also update their other products as well. The Mac lineup for example has a lot of misses that are still not addressed.
They gave the Mac Mini a good buff by making it not-so-small, and later on it had a Studio version. Meanwhile, we are left with the casual iMac that formerly had a Pro version when Intel was still the processor supplier. Now that we have Apple Silicon, it’s sad that they’re not reviving the iMac Pro which makes sense in a lot of creative offices and personal spaces.
The Mac Pro was also left in limbo again. Remember when they replaced the ‘trash can’ Mac Pro with the tower-style again in 2019? Why did they even do that when they knew they were working on Apple Silicon already? It didn’t make sense. It also received the new processor late – only in 2023, with the M2 Ultra. Now it’s 2025 and it’s still stuck in its 2023 form. Sure, it can still dish it out with the latest tasks but the Mac Pro has always been leaps ahead of contemporary standards, fitted with something that is years ahead in future-proofing.
Lastly, they should release a more (MORE!) affordable external display that’s compatible with Mac (and now iPad Pro). If you’re chasing a seamless workflow or the ease of color coordination between your iPad or Mac into an external display, your only choice is the Apple Studio Display that starts at PHP 94,990. It’s only a 27-inch monitor! For that price alone, you can already buy multiple monitors from other brands, while having enough change to treat your friends, have a staycation, and take a Grab ride home. Your other choice is the bigger, Professional-er Pro Display XDR that starts at PHP 299,990.
Apple used to have a versatile Mac lineup that can cater to any demand of a creator. Now, creators have to adjust their preferences in order to get that seamless MacOS experience. The failure of the iPhone Air, the questionable necessity of the Vision Pro, and the misses in the Mac lineup all point to a company that enjoys their profit and does not know what to do with it. Really, just start with an iPhone with no camera bump.
