iPhone Air 2: Poor sales reportedly cause postponement
Thinnest iPhone ever is reportedly not selling as well as Apple had hoped, according to analysts. This now apparently changes the release plan for a new model.
iPhone Air first generation: No second model for now?
(Image: heise medien / Sebastian Trepesch)
Apple has reportedly postponed the iPhone Air 2, originally planned for next fall, according to insiders. The reason is said to be the still below-average sales of the first series. According to the IT news service The Information from Silicon Valley, the information comes from “three people involved in the project.” It is currently unclear how long the delay will be. However, the release of the devices in the fall of 2026 will not happen.
Production (soon) to be discontinued?
The well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had already claimed after the Air's sales launch in September that production at Apple's suppliers had been reduced by 80 percent. The poor demand was noticeable, among other things, because all other models quickly had long delivery times, but the Air was comparatively quickly available (or even available on the same day in one of the Apple Stores). Kuo further stated that the component production of some parts could already expire this year.
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The Information also reports similar developments. Apple has “sharply reduced” production. Foxconn, one of the two final assemblers of the Air, is dedicating only one and a half production lines to the device and will close them completely by the end of the month. Luxshare, the second manufacturer, allegedly already stopped overall production in October. For other models like the iPhone 17 Pro, “dozens” of production lines continue to run. In total, Apple is said to have previously allocated 10 percent of its total manufacturing capacity to the Air.
Confusion about “postponement”
Apple did not comment on the report. The company had hoped to attract new customers with the Air's form factor. The hardware is advertised for its thinness and durability. Apple has had problems placing such special models on the market for a long time: first, the iPhone mini failed in generations 12 and 13, and more recently, the Plus model (14, 15, and 16) has sold rather below average, according to observers.
It remains to be seen what “postponement” actually means. So far, observers had assumed that Apple would launch up to five new models in the fall of 2026: iPhone 18, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, Air 2, and the first iPhone foldable. It would be unusual for Apple to launch an Air 2 only in 2027—or to schedule it “between the years.” Currently, only the entry-level model, most recently the iPhone 16e, is presented in the spring.
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