iPhone Air breathes new life into Apple

Arthur Goldstuck

3 months ago

Apple launch events are part sermon and part retail pitch. But even the most devout audience can sense when the performance is on its last gasp. This year’s iPhone reveal was almost one of those moments: a parade of predictable updates, and executives straining to convince us that tougher glass is cause for wonder.

The step changes consumers clamour for, from real artificial intelligence to foldable devices, were a distant vision.

Then Apple slipped a new character onto the stage. The iPhone Air. The name says it all, and it was instantly the star of the show.

At 5.6mm thick, the Air is Apple’s boldest iPhone redesign in years, and its most obvious bid to rekindle excitement. At US$999, it slots neatly below the Pro, but above the vanilla iPhone.

American media outlets were predictably gaga over the “impossibly thin” form factor, considering they had never seen Huawei or Honor foldable phones.

But thinness has always been a treacherous selling point. For all the marvel of a phone that almost disappears in the hand, the engineering comes at a cost. And the cost here is battery. Read my lips, but hurry before the battery dies: 3149 mAh. The last time a mainstream, high-end smartphone had a battery capacity nearly that low was … the iPhone 13 Pro, with a 3,125 mAh battery.

Apple’s answer is to insist that the Air still provides “all-day battery life”. That is, if you measure that life in hours of video playback, and if you’re willing to clip on an extra battery pack.

That’s rather like promising a marathon runner will finish the race, provided they hitch a lift halfway. The irony is hard to ignore: a phone designed to be featherlight gains endurance only by strapping on weight.

Apple’s curious case of AI avoidance

More telling than the Air’s compromises, however, is Apple’s approach to AI. Its rivals have made AI the centrepiece of their strategies. Google, Samsung and even Microsoft are falling over themselves to cram generative assistants into every crevice of their products. Some of these features are ingenious; many are gimmicks, as any Outlook user will know when they click on the Copilot button, only to be told: “Coming soon.” Apple echoes that message remarkably well.

Apple executives spoke of AI briefly, almost reluctantly, before returning to the comfort zone of durability and design.

On the one hand, Apple avoids the embarrassment of pushing features that often prove underwhelming. On the other, it risks being perceived as lagging behind a generational shift. Which it is. But … Air!

Of course, there is a positive way to read Apple’s restraint, but this is not necessarily a compliment to the brand. It appears to understand that most people still buy phones for the basics, like battery life and screen quality. You know, practical stuff. AI cannot restore a dead phone at 7pm or a cracked screen after a clumsy drop.

A calculated hierarchy

The Air’s pricing sends a clear signal. Apple does not see it as the pinnacle of the iPhone line. That crown remains firmly on the Pro’s head, with a sturdier build and larger battery. The Air is positioned as an alternative rather than a successor, but it is the shiny object designed to catch the eye of those tired of incremental upgrades.

It is also a reminder of how Apple uses design as theatre. Suddenly, the conversation is less about the absence of AI, and more about the seduction of design. Talk about a decoy.

There’s a nostalgic echo. Apple has always known how to make thinness feel magical. From the MacBook Air pulled from a manila envelope to the iPad so slim it looked impossible, the company has long equated design minimalism with innovation. The iPhone Air is probably intended to continue that tradition, but the magic wears thin (puns fully intended) when one considers that the new Honor Magic V5 foldable phone unfolds to a ridiculous 4.2mm thickness.

While Jobs’s Apple thrived on making trade-offs invisible, today’s Apple risks making them too obvious. When the solution to a smaller battery is to buy a bigger accessory, the illusion falters.

That said, it is a phone that breathes new life into Apple’s product line, while reminding us of the breath it still holds when it comes to AI and true step changes.

Pre-order the iPhone 17 range in South Africa, here

Customers can now get up to R25 000 cash back after purchase when trading in

The iPhone 17 range is now available for pre-order online from the iStore, South Africa’s Apple Premium Partner, and will launch in-store on 19 September 2025.

Customers can pre order the new iPhone 17 range for cash from R20,799, or on their Vodacom, MTN or Telkom cellular contracts directly through iStore.

They can also receive up to R25,000 cash back when trading in their current iPhone.

Pricing for the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air by trading in at the iStore
iPhone 17 range	iPhone 17 range price after trading in below devices
	Trade in:	After trade in	Trade in:	After trade in
iPhone 17 256GB	iPhone 15 256GB	R9,999	iPhone 14 256GB	R11,999
iPhone 17 512GB	iPhone 15 512GB	R14,799	iPhone 14 512GB	R16,799

iPhone Air 256GB	iPhone 15 Plus 256GB	R12,999	iPhone 14 Plus 256GB	R15,999
iPhone Air 512GB	iPhone 15 Plus 512GB	R17,399	iPhone 14 Plus 512GB	R21,999
iPhone Air 1TB	iPhone 15 Plus 512GB	R22,699	iPhone 14 Plus 512GB	R27,299

iPhone 17 Pro 256GB	iPhone 15 Pro 256GB	R12,999	iPhone 14 Pro 256GB	R15,999
iPhone 17 Pro 512GB	iPhone 15 Pro 512GB	R17,299	iPhone 14 Pro 512GB	R21,599
iPhone 17 Pro 1TB	iPhone 15 Pro 1TB	R20,199	iPhone 14 Pro 1TB	R26,799

iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB	iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB	R14,999	iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB	R17,999
iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB	iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB	R18,999	iPhone 14 Pro Max 512GB	R23,699
iPhone 17 Pro Max 1TB	iPhone 15 Pro Max 1TB	R22,999	iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB	R28,299
iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB	iPhone 15 Pro Max 1TB	R33,499	iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB	R38,799