Apple iPhone Air sales fall short, forcing the company to cut production

Apple’s new iPhone Air is not living up to the hype the company pushed in September, and the early numbers show a clear miss.

The story is simple: Apple promised a major redesign, and buyers expected real value, but the actual sales are way below what the company had planned, according to reporting from the Financial Times.

The iPhone Air came out as the thinnest model Apple has ever made, yet that thin design came with trade-offs that customers clearly did not want. Apple priced the Air high, trimmed hardware to keep the 5.64mm body, and then watched shoppers move toward models with more power and better features.

The Financial Times quoted International Data Corporation researcher Nabila Popal, who said “Apple had bigger expectations for the Air and it has not delivered on them,” after data showed Apple cut production for the Air by half only weeks after launch.

Nabila explained that early checks across Apple’s supply chain showed the Air selling only about one‑third of the company’s top projections.

Apple has been trying to find new ways to push iPhone sales forward after years of slow movement, even though the iPhone still brought in $209 billion in the 12 months to September, which is around half of all Apple revenue.

Apple pulls back Air production as other iPhone 17 models grow

The rest of the iPhone 17 lineup is not having the same problem. Those devices came out at the same time as the Air, and Apple expects them to push a record holiday quarter beyond what Wall Street had penciled in.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Apple may build 90 million units of the new lineup in the second half of 2025, which is 6 million more than expected before launch. But they also said those gains are limited because of the Air’s weaker results.

Interest in the Air at launch was not the problem. The Similarweb tracking team found the Air pulled 1 million product page views in September, and the entire iPhone launch event reached 7.4 million online views, up 28% from last year.

But views did not become purchases. Similarweb said the conversion rate for the Air was about one‑third lower than for the other iPhone 17 models.

Futurum Group chief executive Dan Newman told the Financial Times, “It created interest… showing the product innovation was still there,” but people still went for the stronger camera and longer battery life on the Pro.

Forrester researchers said part of the issue is the “awkward” price point. The Air costs $999, which is only $100 less than the iPhone 17 Pro. The base iPhone 17 sells for $799, so the Air sits in the middle but does not deliver enough to justify its price.

Apple also cut the second speaker and used a simpler rear camera without ultra‑wide and telephoto lenses to keep the thin build. Apple said the smaller battery still lasts all day, but the company released a detachable battery pack with the phone.

Weak China demand hits Air as analysts see it as a test device

Morgan Stanley’s Erik Woodring compared the Air rollout to the first MacBook Air in 2008, saying that device only picked up after Apple cut prices and improved performance.

In China, where Apple is trying to win back ground from local rivals, Jefferies analysts said the Air “remains the poorest-selling model of the 17 series,” based on delivery wait times.

Shoppers in China kept choosing models with stronger specs, making the Air even weaker in one of Apple’s most important markets.

Data from analysts also shows buyers are not fully convinced by ultra‑thin phones in general.Many see the Air as a warm-up for a foldable Apple device expected next year.

Huawei and Samsung already sell foldables, and the Air appears to be Apple’s way of getting people used to a lighter frame before pushing a bigger hardware change.

Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan said “The Air is a limited-capability phone that we think is a trial run in preparation for the foldable,” and he said any foldable model from Apple will likely sit at the very top of the iPhone price range.

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