During the Awe Dropping event, September 9th, 2025, Apple held its typical event for this time of year, focused on announcing its new tech products. What breaks the pattern is the disruptive way the company is positioning itself in the market, using one of its launches to measure the future of the entire company.
This very September also marks two years since I became an iOS developer. Before that, I considered myself a system user, but from then on, I became an active participant in the lifecycle of the Apple ecosystem.
My entry into this new world also coincided with the breaking of several paradigms inside the company, from launching innovative products like the Apple Vision Pro to adding something as simple as a calculator to the iPad. Yet, of all these, the most striking moment was today’s launch of the iPhone 17 Air.
An Awe Dropping iPhone
The iPhone 17 Air was introduced with an extremely thin design, unlike anything before. It was such a big leap that it brought back memories of the iconic iPhone X launch, which introduced facial recognition to Apple’s phones. And for the first time in the company’s history, a product felt more Pro than the actual iPhone Pro.
One can see that one is the evolution of the other, given the addition of two cameras and several other technological innovations. But the $100 price gap between the two makes it clear that even Apple doesn't place much value on that evolutionary leap between the categories. Unless that is intentional.
An Awe Putting-Back iPhone
The iPhone 17 Pro reminded me of the Apple Watch Ultra: a device meant for an audience that values function over looks. Apple’s visual and social appeal has always been one of its trademarks, but that appeal is absent from these products, which stand out more for professional robustness than for aesthetics. By that logic, the MacBook Pro also fits in, since it is noticeably uglier than the Air (in my opinion).
However, unlike all previous Air vs Pro or Ultra comparisons, the iPhone lineup now has only a $100 price difference. And that is exactly where the company’s big move comes in: figuring out whether the mainstream audience prefers aesthetics or functionality.
This question appears to be a direct consequence of Apple’s recent steps, like creating an entirely new design, introducing an innovative AI system that now seems sidelined, and launching the iPhone 16, which felt more like an iPhone 15.2. It seems that they want to understand what the public expects after so many uncertainties.
So where is the future heading?
Don’t get me wrong, Apple fans. I just believe that the ceiling of scientific progress will not allow an iPhone to be that much better than the previous one every single year. And maybe we don’t even need an iPhone with such superior cameras, since one apparently does the magic of three. Apparently.
I do understand that the company has been finding brilliant ways to innovate on its existing products through new features, like hearing health monitoring on the AirPods Pro or the incredible health metrics on the Apple Watch. The future ironically suggests that companies may need to think more about how to evolve the public’s relationship with the products they already own than about pushing the need for entirely new ones. That is, of course, if the insiders allow it! :)
Leonardo Bilhalva