iPhone Air could be a design win for Apple

CUPERTINO, California, Sept 10: Apple CEO Tim Cook seemed to be channeling predecessor and design genius Steve Jobs on Tuesday when he unveiled the iPhone Air, the company’s slimmest handset yet and the biggest change in eight years to a lineup fans and analysts saw as stagnating.

Apple launches slimmer iPhone Air, new iPhone 17

Cook kicked off the company’s annual product launch event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters with a Jobs quote: “For us, design goes beyond just how something looks or feels. Design is also how it works.”
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Inside its 5.6-mm (0.22-inch) -slim frame, thinner than Samsung Electronics’ (005930.KS) S25 Edge at 5.8 mm, the iPhone Air’s circuitry has been shrunk to the size of a few postage stamps, to deliver on Apple’s claim of “all-day battery life”.

Many analysts had predicted a ho-hum reception ahead of the event, but some said on Tuesday the four new iPhones – Air, 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max – were a lineup likely to appeal to customers with varied budgets.

The company’s shares have stagnated, losing 6.4% so far in 2025, while other tech giants like Microsoft and Nvidia have posted double-digit gains. Its market value of $3.5 trillion makes it the S&P 500’s third-most valuable company behind those two companies.

Doubts still linger about whether the new smartphone will match its promised battery capacity, and whether consumers will settle for one camera fewer.

It will incorporate Apple’s best and newest A19 Pro processor chip, tuned for artificial intelligence tasks, and two new custom communications chips.

“I heard loud claps the moment it was announced,” said Gaurav Chaudhary, a YouTuber with nearly 24 million followers, popularly known as “Technical Guruji.”

He praised the Air’s titanium frame and “ceramic shield” glass, which Apple said make the device more durable.

Chaudhary said that despite hearing numerous leaks about the device ahead of time, he was still impressed after handling it in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple headquarters, even if he still wants to see if Apple’s battery life claims hold up.

Seventeen years ago, Jobs famously introduced the company’s first MacBook Air by pulling the ultra-thin laptop from an interoffice envelope, to highlight how portable it was.

The iPhone Air, which borrows its name and design language from the laptop, may be what Apple fans have wanted for years: A device that distinct from competitors packed with feats of hardware engineering.