iPhone 17 and Air go on sale amid demand for new design
Kyiv • UNN
New iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone Air models went on sale on September 19, along with Apple Watch SE, Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3. Demand for Pro models is high, while the iPhone Air may not become a sales leader due to its shortcomings.
New iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, and iPhone Air went on sale on Friday, September 19, amid demand for a design refresh that some Apple customers have been waiting for over the past four years before buying a new iPhone, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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For the first time since 2020, Apple is introducing several new iPhone models. New Apple Watch SE, Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3 are also arriving in stores.
Early sales in Asia showed high demand for the Pro models. In Hong Kong, a small group of buyers gathered outside Apple's flagship store to check out the new smartphones, but only the new iPhone Air was available for personal use. Everyone who wanted to buy an iPhone 17 or Pro was offered to place an online order, and, according to Apple, the waiting time would be about three weeks.
At Apple stores in Australia, New Zealand, mainland China, and Singapore, delivery times were similar, with the wait for the iPhone 17 Pro Max extending to four weeks. Japan was the only major market where consumers could get any new iPhone model with next-day delivery, while in South Korea, the 17 Pro was available within a week, while the Pro Max was marked as unavailable until the end of October.
The new Pro versions bring back the iPhone in an aluminum body and feature an updated back panel, while the iPhone Air is Apple's first attempt at a radically new design, where the thin body is the main advantage.
The stakes are high for Apple. The company faces high Wall Street expectations for holiday sales, despite global economic challenges and the threat of future price increases due to tariffs. The Cupertino, California-based electronics giant is also trying to convince consumers that its magic has returned after its artificial intelligence strategy failed, the publication writes.
How the new models will be received in China will be of great importance to the company. Sales in the region fell by 6% in the weeks leading up to the launch of the new device family, a sharper decline than usual. After years of success in the region over the past decade, Apple now holds only 12% of the local market, trailing Oppo, Huawei Technologies Co., Xiaomi Corp., and other companies.
The release of the last major version of the iPhone, which debuted in 2007, coincided with the transition of Meta Platforms Inc. and other companies to artificial intelligence devices, including smart glasses with displays. The new models also appeared on the market a few weeks after Google and Samsung Electronics Co., owned by Alphabet Inc., released updates for their flagship smartphones.
In particular, Samsung threatens the dominance of the iPhone. The company has released the seventh generation of its foldable book-style phone, which seems to be a success with consumers due to its more durable body and thin design. According to Bloomberg, Apple will not have a foldable phone until the end of next year.
The iPhone 17 Pro lineup is the most successful with buyers, improving the features that buyers most want in a new phone: battery life, camera quality, and reliability. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1099, which is only $100 more than the iPhone 16 Pro it replaces.
"Prices are really going up for the first time in several years, so if we see a typical replacement cycle with higher prices, plus some progress in artificial intelligence, it may not be impressive for stocks, but it's not a bad scenario," said John Belton, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds.
On the other hand, the iPhone Air may not be a sales leader, despite the attention it is expected to receive, the publication notes. The $999 device is reportedly "focused on a thin body but has drawbacks in terms of battery life, sound, and cameras." In addition, its price is equal to the price of the 17 Pro, taking into account the optional magnetic battery attachment for extended life.
Earlier this year, Samsung released the Galaxy S25 Edge, using a concept similar to Apple's iPhone Air. So far, sales have been a flop, the publication notes.
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