Recent weeks have shed light on the precarious position of Apple’s latest ultra-slim model, the iPhone Air, as well as its anticipated successors. Speculation surrounding its future has escalated dramatically, fueled by a recent report from The Information.
Rumored Delay for the iPhone Air 2: No Fall 2026 Release
According to The Information, sourced from three internal channels, the iPhone Air 2 is facing significant delays. The anticipated launch in the fall of 2026, which coincides with the rollout of the iPhone 18 lineup, is now in jeopardy. Additionally, it remains uncertain if an iPhone Air 2 will ever be released.
This report reiterates earlier insights from well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who had alerted observers to the likelihood that suppliers for the iPhone Air would decrease production capacity by over 80 percent. This reduction underscores concerns about the model’s market performance.
Delving deeper into the production landscape, Foxconn, one of the primary manufacturers for the iPhone Air, has nearly ceased operations on all production lines for the device, maintaining only one complete and one partial line. Foxconn is expected to stop all production for the ultra-slim variant by the end of this month. It’s worth noting that Luxshare, another key assembler, has already halted its production efforts for the iPhone Air.
Initial estimates suggested that Apple was prepared for a sluggish uptake, allocating a mere 10 percent of its production capacity to the iPhone Air. However, the actual performance of the device has fallen short of even these modest expectations, leading to significant disruptions in the supply chain and casting doubt on the future of its successor.
Data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners indicates that the iPhone Air contributed only 3 percent to total iPhone sales in September, compared to the 9 percent share for the iPhone 17 Pro and 12 percent for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Despite the current setbacks, Apple has not entirely abandoned plans for the iPhone Air 2, which is internally referred to as V62. Preliminary development is still ongoing, and the company may opt for substantial design modifications before introducing the enhanced variant.
It is also worth mentioning that during the latest earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook refrained from elaborating on the iPhone Air’s sales performance, simply stating that the company has received a “tremendous response”to the iPhone 17 series.
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