What should one do when reputed analysts continue to contradict each other? After all, this is exactly what is now happening with the Apple iPhone Air, with one group of analysts asserting that demand remains healthy, while the other continues to sound the proverbial death knell for the ultra-slim iPhone variant.
TD Cowen does not see Apple reducing the production cadence for the iPhone Air, contradicting KeyBanc Capital and Ming-Chi Kuo
A TD Cowen report over the weekend claimed that the Cupertino giant was not changing its production cadence for the iPhone Air, using "field work" as a confirmation mechanism to reiterate its previous production estimates for the ultra-slim iPhone.
TD Cowen continues to expect Apple to produce 3 million units of the iPhone Air in the third calendar quarter of 2025, and 7 million units in the fourth calendar quarter of the ongoing year.
This, of course, directly contradicts last week's assessment by KeyBanc Capital, which found "virtually no demand for iPhone Air, and limited willingness to pay for a foldable."
Then, Nikkei Asia reported that the Cupertino giant was curtailing the production cadence of the iPhone Air, while boosting the production orders for the other models in the iPhone 17 lineup.
Finally, the famous Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also chimed in last week, claiming that most iPhone Air suppliers were expected to slash capacity for the model by over 80 percent.
Jefferies finds "nearly zero" lead times for the iPhone Air in China, while the wait times for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro "have almost disappeared"
Adding to this confusion, Jefferies is now claiming that the lead times for the iPhone Air in China are now "nearly zero," while the wait times for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro "have almost disappeared." Even so, the analyst leverages his industry channel checks to posit that "[iPhone] growth in China has accelerated."
The analyst notes:
"For the first five weeks since iPhone 17 shipment started [in China], total iPhone unit growth reached 19% year over year."
The collapse of the iPhone Air lead times in China is a troubling development. After all, the variant was previously deemed a hit in China, courtesy of its eSIM-only quirk, which has remained a novelty in the Asian giant up till now.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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