Apple’s answer to a world in which most phones look the same is the iPhone Air: a sleeker new version of its flagship iPhone that the company claims is so subtle it “seems to disappear in your hands.”
But it’s unclear whether this will be enough to excite consumers at a time when people tend to upgrade out of necessity rather than just for new features. The iPhone Air, while thinner, doesn’t do anything fundamentally different than a standard smartphone.
Foldable phones, while niche, allow consumers to use phones in new ways: as a tablet, as a miniature phone that fits in the palm of your hand or even as an accessory you can wear – an approach Apple seems to be embracing with its new cross body strap for the Air. The iPhone Air, with its revamped design, is the closest answer Apple has to a foldable right now.
It remains to be seen how the iPhone Air will sell. The larger question is whether it sets up a strong vision for where the iPhone – Apple’s most important product – will go in the future.
Apple shares (AAPL) were down nearly 1.5 percent following the event.
