Oh dear. I just can't seem to back the right iPhone. For years I was one of the most vocal proponents of the iPhone mini, citing its delightful size and one-handed usability as reasons why it was the best model for me. Alas, I was in the minority. The mini crashed and burned sales-wise, with the general public seeming to prefer carrying around mini IMAX screens in their pockets. And now, history is repeating itself with the iPhone Air.
As regular readers of my Creative Bloq (hi, both!) will know, I'm a big fan of the iPhone Air. Design for the sake of design floats my boat (hey, my job title is Design Editor after all), and the ultra slim and light design means more to me than the lack of ultra-wide camera lens or mind-blowing battery life. It's not the best iPhone for photography, but it's the best iPhone for me. If various reports are to be believed, though, the Air might be even deader in the water than the mini ever was.
First came the sales figures. Apparently the Air is experiencing "virtually no demand," leading Apple to drastically reduce production (the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro, by contrast, are apparently outperforming their iPhone 16 counterparts).
And now, reports suggest the industrial designer who introduced the phone itself has quickly moved on too. According to Bloomberg, Abidur Chowdhury has left Apple to work for an unnamed AI company.
“Abidur Chowdhury, an industrial designer, recently departed the iPhone maker for an artificial intelligence startup, according to people familiar with the move," reads the report. "His exit made waves internally, given his rising profile within the design team, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.”
So, things aren't looking so rosy for the iPhone Air. With its chief designer gone, and sales (apparently) non-existent, it's hard to imagine the device lasting longer than the ill-fated minis.
And yet, I still love it. From the ultra-thin profile to the polished titanium edges, this is the most premium feeling iPhone ever. Those Pros, with their weird unibody design and aluminium frame, feel like an eyesore in comparison. It seems that once again I might find myself clinging on to a phone that nobody else wants until long after it is discontinued.
