Apple is cutting back production of the iPhone Air due to slow sales, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The company plans a big reduction in output as customers overwhelmingly choose the standard iPhone 17 and the more capable iPhone 17 Pro over the slim iPhone Air. Sources say Apple will reduce iPhone Air production to nearly “end of production” levels, with November orders expected to drop to less than 10% of what they were in September, Fortune reports.
The move comes just weeks after Apple brought the iPhone Air to China. One survey indicates there is “virtually no demand for iPhone Air,” adding that most buyers are choosing other iPhone 17 models instead.
When the news came out that Samsung had reportedly canceled next year’s S26 Edge, a thin phone similar to the iPhone, due to poor sales of the S25 Edge, it was thought to be a Samsung problem. But now it seems like it’s the slim phone problem, similar to the lack of interest that plagued the miniature smartphone when Apple launched the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini.
The iPhone Air launched in September at $999 and is only 5.6mm thick, making it thinner than a pencil. The phone has a titanium frame and is considered Apple’s lightest iPhone since the iPhone 12 Mini. It has a 48-megapixel rear camera (the same found on the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro) and promises all-day battery life. To extend battery use, Apple sells a $99 MagSafe battery pack that can push total runtime to 40 hours.
Currently, Apple’s website still lists the iPhone Air as available for immediate purchase across all colors, unlike other models, which face shipping delays of up to three weeks.