Apple Never Intended to Refresh the iPhone Air Every Year
Georgiy Lyamin
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Apple’s new midrange iPhone Air is definitely not the company’s most popular iPhone model, but it was never expected to be, says Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Gurman’s comments came in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. He says Apple never intended to release a second-generation iPhone Air in 2026, so rumors of delays in the second-gen model due to its lack of popularity are incorrect. As Gurman points out — and as we speculated right after Apple’s September event — the lack of a number should have been the biggest clue.
The fact that Apple named the device the iPhone Air (rather than the iPhone 17 Air) signaled that it didn’t want to tie the product to an annual release schedule.
Mark Gurman
According to Gurman, Apple never believed the iPhone Air, which effectively replaced its poorly selling iPhone Plus models, would do any better in sales. Instead, the new model was intended to test the retail waters and serve as a “technology exercise” to prove what Apple can do and prepare for the coming foldable iPhone.
Still, while Gurman confirms that a second-generation iPhone Air is in development, he says that Apple is focusing on a better chipset, not necessarily a second rear-facing camera. The new chip powering the second-gen iPhone Air would be built using TSMC’s 2-nanometer process, improving performance while providing longer battery life.
While rumors of a second rear-facing camera persist, Gurman’s sources haven’t confirmed this, and he’s skeptical that Apple will put in the effort to rework its entire camera plateau section — where all the electronics are packed in — “just to add the least-used iPhone camera” — especially for an iPhone model that “few people are buying.”
Still, since the pricier foldable iPhone is almost certain to have a dual rear-camera design, Gurman concedes that this could trickle down to a future iPhone Air — just not necessarily the next model.
The Beleaguered iPhone Air
Soon after the iPhone Air was released, reports began appearing of poor sales for Apple’s ultra-thin, lightweight iPhone model, followed by reports of cuts in manufacturing. Apple reportedly ordered its supply chain to scale back production and shipments of the Air. A report last week claimed Apple’s top iPhone assembly partner, Foxconn, has dismantled most of its iPhone Air production lines, leaving only a small fraction of them still active, with all production expected to halt by the end of this month. Apple’s other iPhone Air assembly partner, Luxshare, reportedly already paused production at the end of last month.
In mid-October, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple had slashed iPhone Air orders to levels typically seen only when Apple is preparing to completely wind down manufacturing of the device.
We then saw reports that Apple has been developing a second-generation iPhone Air that would boast improved battery life and offer vapor chamber cooling. The report also seemingly confirmed an earlier rumor, adding that the supposed delay would also give the company time to add a second camera — most likely in a configuration similar to the base iPhone 17 model — a 48 MP ultra-wide lens added to the 48 MP main camera.
Still, other analysts suggested that reports of the iPhone Air’s death had been greatly exaggerated. A research note from TD Cowen stated that Apple had not made any changes to the number of iPhone Air units Apple expected to produce during 2025, adding that its supply chain sources said production forecasts of three million iPhone Air units in the third calendar quarter of 2025 and seven million in the fourth calendar quarter remained unchanged.
Apple could keep the iPhone Air in the iPhone lineup as an option for users looking for a super-thin handset, preventing them from moving to the Android ecosystem, where several ultra-thin models are available.
Whatever the truth behind the multiple reports, it appears Apple has not given up on the iPhone Air, and the ultra-thin device still has a place in Apple’s lineup — at least for now.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
