The star of Tuesday's "awe dropping" Apple event was undeniably the iPhone Air, a slim, much-rumored version of its new iPhone 17. It's only 5.6mm thick -- thinner than three stacked credit cards -- if you ignore the huge camera bump. But does anyone actually want a super-thin iPhone?
Apple has loaded up the iPhone Air with better battery life and faster processing power via the A19 Pro chip. It's also got a 48-megapixel fusion camera and a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto camera. Apple said this is the most power-efficient phone it's ever made. It's likely to be a value-packed iPhone -- or at least it should be, since the prices start at $999 for 256GB. But none of that matters if the phone breaks, bends or shatters.
I'm not a total klutz, but I drop my phone occasionally. I throw it in my bag while running out the door, shove it in my pockets while on a run and toss it on the counter while cooking. I need a phone that can take a bit of jostling. I'm not convinced that Apple's thinnest ever model is going to be able to withstand all that, despite the company calling it its "most durable design yet."
I have precedent to back up my concerns. When Apple released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, previously the slimmest model Apple produced, early users reported that the device would bend when they kept it in their pockets -- it became known as Bendgate. Apple said it only happened for a few iPhone owners at the time, but history tends to repeat itself.
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"The iPhone 17 Air is an impressive feat of engineering, and Apple went into detail about the device's design. Given the challenges faced with the iPhone 6 Plus, which resulted in the 'bendgate' controversy, Apple clearly wants to put minds at rest," said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.
Maybe Apple's presentation would've eased my worries about the durability of the iPhone Air if it had mentioned anything practical about its testing and development beyond marketing fluff. If the company wants us to spend a grand on a new iPhone in this economy, we deserve to know it won't bend or break after a few uses. (Luckily for us, CNET plans to test it soon.)
I appreciate what Apple is trying to do, and I'm sure the iPhone Air will be appealing for some folks who want a lighter device. But thinner isn't always better.