iPhone 17 Air expectations are looking… well, slim

Apple is what you’d call a love brand. For decades, people have camped out on sidewalks, stood in endless lines, and spent absurd amounts of money - just to get their hands on the latest Apple release.

But love can come with baggage. And in Apple’s case, that baggage is expectations - expectations that seem to grow heavier with every new product launch. Case in point: the buzz around a potential ultra-slim iPhone Air.

There’s a lot of noise out there, but fortunately, AltaVox is here to cut through the chaos.

Important caveat: there hasn’t been any official announcement from Apple. So we’re mostly looking at reactions to rumors – which, if I were on Apple’s marketing team, is exactly what I’d be paying close attention to.

We analyzed nearly 3,000 comments across five different videos discussing Apple’s possible new release.

Overall sentiment analysis

The sentiment split on this one is fascinating. Positive reactions came in at 26.8%, while negative ones weren’t far behind at 24.3%. But most people? Squarely in neutral territory.

So what does neutral really mean? In this case - skepticism.

Top neutral topics

Most people just don’t believe the rumored features (15%) or the design (10%) are actually feasible. Interestingly, there were also quite a few nostalgic mentions – people missing the days of smaller phones.

On the negative side, users are clearly experiencing some Apple fatigue – after so many hype cycles and unmet expectations.

Top negative topics

The biggest concerns? Durability issues (26%) and the potential for bending (22%) – which, honestly, are expected worries with a device this thin. Surprisingly, 18% of commenters felt a slimmer iPhone wouldn’t be innovative enough. And some didn’t hold back:

Now, for the good feedback – because yes, it exists, and in almost equal measure.

Excitement about the new design topped the list at 18%. Some users are even planning to skip the current generation entirely in favor of waiting for this one.

So, you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of... internet’s feedback on Apple’s next iPhone!

Reading through all those comments manually would’ve taken me an entire day. But I pulled these insights in just a few minutes using AltaVox.

Want to see how we can do the same for your business? Book a demo with us!