Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 line-up on Sept 9, featuring its thinnest smartphone ever, as the tech giant works to prove it can keep pace in the generative AI race.
The Silicon Valley powerhouse held its annual iPhone release event amid mounting pressures: The White House is pushing the company to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing, while investors question whether Apple is truly ready for the artificial intelligence age.
Adding to these challenges, the company faces headwinds from US President Donald Trump’s high tariff policies. Apple shares have dropped more than 3 per cent since the Republicans took office in January.
Against this backdrop, Apple is betting on a product that it hopes will spark a super-cycle of iPhone purchases and reverse the trend of customers holding on to their devices longer before upgrading.
To reinvigorate its brand, Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Air, which chief executive Tim Cook called “a total game changer”.
At just 5.6mm thick, the US$999 device features Apple’s new A19 Pro processor – its most powerful iPhone chip to date – and promises all-day battery life with up to 40 hours of video playback.
The Air joins Apple’s standard line-up, including the premium iPhone Pro 17, the company’s most expensive and highest-performing model.
The price point for the new Air starts from S$1,599 and goes up to S$2,199, depending on the storage space. The standard iPhone 17 model with 256GB of storage space is priced at S$1,299, and S$1,599 for 512GB of storage space.
The new line-up will be available for purchase in Singapore starting from Sept 19, while pre-orders begin at 8pm on Sept 12.
While all new devices incorporate generative AI technology, Apple made no major announcements about expanding its AI capabilities beyond updates to existing features in its “Apple Intelligence” suite.
The company’s AI push has struggled to gain traction since it launched “Apple Intelligence” in late 2024.
Users have been particularly disappointed with improvements to its digital assistant Siri, which remains surprisingly basic despite years of promises.
AFP, The Straits Times
