iPhone Air Versus the iPhone 17 Variants: It Is Quite Easy To Pick

I have read about how hard Apple made it more difficult for users to pick between the new iPhones released a couple of weeks ago. And while millions of of the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 variants hare already been shipped and delivered, it was likely a difficult choice to make for many users. Apple relished in the fact that users agonized over which iPhones to get. After reading reviews and watch YouTube videos, I realized it is quite easy.

I am still waiting to see if I can get a better deal with my carrier, I have decided on which model I will get if I decide to upgrade this year: the iPhone 17 Pro. The choice fo my is quite simple. Coming from the iPhone 13 mini, it is not the weight that drew me to it after downgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro Max. It was the size. However, the size between the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro are close enough that it is negligible. 

Before this past weekend, I was learning towards the iPhone Air. But now, I have changed my mind. Here is why: I want the additional cameras, longer battery life, and smaller form factor so that it is easier to carry in my hand when I go on runs (I use the flashlight on the iPhone when I run at night. I used to run in the dark before phones and I cannot imagine how I did and why anyone runs in the dark).

So, if you lean one way or another on these factors, you want the Air or the 17. I'll use "iPhone 17" to encompass all three models. Whether you for go for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or the iPhone 17 Pro Max is entirely another matter.

• If you want something that is completely new, you want the iPhone Air. The iPhone 17 feels good in my hand. I do like the slight changes made to the iPhone 17. You have to see the iPhone Air 
• If you want a light iPhone, You want the iPhone Air weighing in at 5.82 oz. I will be coming from the 4.97 oz. iPhone 13 mini. One ounce is not going to matter to me. The lightest iPhone 17 is 6.24 oz. 
• If you need an iPhone that provides more battery life, you want the iPhone 17. Much like range anxiety for EV owners, I have a feeling that the iPhone Air will bring back some of the anxiety mobile users used to have about running out of juice towards the end of the day. You have the option to use a MagSafe Battery that would alleviate those fears. 
• Cameras for photography and recording. This one is easy. You are probably coming from an iPhone that has the Ultra Wide and/or the telephoto lens. If you use one or both of those lens often, you want the iPhone 17. It is disappointing the iPhone Air only has the regular camera. It is an excellent camera that is also on the iPhone 17. The following features are on the iPhone 17 that are missing on the iPhone Air: some models can record at higher rates, higher zoom, macro photography, ProRAW, spatial photography, better stabilization, cinematic mode, better microphones. and telephoto/Ultra Wide modes.

There are other feature differences that might make or break it for some users. Mostly powerful users who will likely pick the iPhone 17 over the iPhone Air, like faster transfer rate and faster charging. I think deep down, you know exactly what you need. I know, you still agonize over which model to get but it goes away once you are honestly about your needs. It comes down to your needs. If you need those features that are only available for the iPhone 17, one of those variants is what you want. If you want a showcase of Apple's newest innovation and do not care about the missing iPhone 17 features, you want the iPhone Air. 

I hope this clears thing up for you. At first, I was learning towards the iPhone Air because of the new form factor and its light weight. However, I know I will miss all the other features on the iPhone 17. I record a lot of video of my puppy and compromises Apple made on the iPhone Air is too far of a bridge for me. Anyway, hope this helps.

iPhone Air - Theories About Its Future

There is rampant speculation about the iPhone Air even as it has been released a little more than a week ago. Even though I do not have the device and currently has no plan on getting it, I feel a connection to it as I believe it holds the future to lighter iPhones and the iPhone Fold (which I’ll call the iBook - here is why I think Apple should call it the iBook).

As I listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos of those who were lucky enough to have had hands-on with the iPhone Air, I noticed many of them made the mistake of call it the iPHone 17 Air or iPhone Air 17. It is a natural mistake after all - this year is iPhone 17’s moment. But why just iPhone Air?

Honestly, who cares. I have always felt that Apple should get away from the numbering scheme and stick with the iPhone and the year it is released. So, this year’s iPhone could be just iPhone, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Pro Max released in 2026. Or iPhone 2026 for anyone keeping score.

Apple already does something like this.

• iPad is just iPad. iPad Air and iPad Pro do not have a numbering sequence. If you are looking for a specific model, Apple’s own website refers to previous models by generation or the year it was released. 
• MacBook Air, MacBook Pro. iMac, Mac mini. Mac Studio. There is no Mac Studio 2. There is no MacBook Pro 7. Just MacBook Pro. 
• We have iOS, IPadOS, WatchOS, and MacOS all followed by “26” for 2026. 

Here is my prediction: There will be no iPhone 18. Just the iPhone, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Pro Max. 

Working With AI to Maximize My Time and I Learned A Valuable Lesson (Yes, You Can Doomscroll and Still Get Things Done!)

There have been quite a few AI uses this weeks and it is by far the most productive week that I have at work and with my personal life. And while I do not doomscroll and only look at a couple of funny or cute videos my partner share with me (she’s into corgi and spouses who scares their significant other), I realized that you can do all the things you want to do while remaining productive.

I started a process I called 10-minutes. Essentially, it is a review of what I did for the day and noting what I need to do the next time. It happens once in the morning, evening, and a miniaturized version of the process for work. I have incorporated AI into it and we work on it together. As I am writing this post, I have done my day’s work just before noon. And given how much I got done this week, I realized that I have a lot more time to do things that are fun - reading, playing with the dog, walking down to the busy street and just window shop, and have coffee and just watch the world. All of this without feeling pressured or guilty that I should be doing something else.

Here are other AI uses this week:

• As I mentioned here, I use AI to help me manage and manage tasks. Because I am human and I want to have fun and relax as much as I can, I quickly go into the groove of this new process. I can do whatever I want so long as I finished what I need to do. And in fact, I even pivot just a bit - I wanted to check out when a maker faire is happening in town and get more information about it, I wanted to see if there was some task I can do around the house first. I cleared the dining table.
• I used AI to find out how I can create a process for a database we are using at work. Apparently, our process is quite complicated and the AI from the company as well as others suggest that I do it on a spreadsheet first and then uploaded via a csv file. Oh well…
• My partner is looking at creating online content and sell products based on it. We have been using AI to look at opportunities and create a streamline process to do it.
• I liked Clash of Clans but I stepped away from it for a few months. When I came back, a lot has changed. I used AI to help me watch up and see what kind of strategies I should be using in my attacks. Right now, I have zero strategies. 
• I used AI to help me consider a financial decision. I have already made a decision but for fun, I wanted to see what these LLM models think or would do. While it is for fun, it did give me some insight on relying too much on AI to make decisions or soliciting advice. In the last week, I have come across articles about users using AI as a therapist or consulting AI on life decisions particularly among the youth.
• Used AI to understand how wills and trusts work. Do not, and I repeat, do not, do not consult an AI for legal matters. Laws are complicated. All types of laws. I participated in a trade seminar and they constantly have clients tell them “ChatGPT told me I can do that…”

Over all, my AI insight really has not been updated from previous weeks. If there is anything new about what I learned this week, it is that it is important to take a few steps back from what your interaction with an AI chatbot especially when it is about your personal life, advices they offer, and and the decisions you might have made as a result of it.

Collaborating with AI - Brainstorming and Feedbacks

The other day, I wrote an article and posted it to Gemini for critiques, have it asked me questions regarding my arguments, and point out weaknesses. I got shredded by Google's AI.  It basically said my arguments were not only weak but they run counter to each other and while it understand what I was trying to convey, it made no sense to it. 

As the writer, I persisted but I did make some changes to my article and published it. I did not go in for a second round of potential pounding. But then I thought perhaps I should. Many times, I have good ideas for a story or article with strong starts but weak finishes or have no idea where I should go after the first couple of paragraphs.

Perhaps, that is where AI comes in. I use AI to brainstorm  but in situations where I am stuck, I feel compelled to get myself out of the situation. Right now, I do not have that issue as I am merely sharing my experience in this regard and want to determine whether using AI at this point is in any way a betrayal of my humanity at all. 

Perhaps, I should simply adapt. When I find myself in a situation where I need help to go further in my writing, there is no shame is using ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to have a look at my story. Tell me where I went wrong, pivot, or offer suggestions on how to continue. 

As with brainstorming sessions, asking AI for help crafting learning plans, or using it to help me make my article better, I am still going to write all of my articles and stories. I can choose to accept the feedback from the AI or not. At the end of the day, if such a use of AI makes my writing better, I can accept that because it is still my writing.

Critisizing My Writing With AI, Comic Creating And AI's Role as Someone To Keep Me On Track

I want to fulfill a childhood dream of writing and drawing some of my stories from when I was just starting middle school. Adventures with my friends in fantastic worlds all created in my mind. I have been writing for years and I finally decided it was time to share it with the world. At the very least, anyone who care to read it. And I used both ChatGPT and Gemini as sounding boards for this purpose. It was a very interesting feel with both offering great advices. I ignored most of them because I wanted my stories to be mine. With the exception of grammar or writing in the present or past tense, I felt I used AI to help me explore my fictional characters and worlds more enjoyable.

Here are also other AI uses:

• Looking to go to Japan with at least some basics of understanding Japanese, I asked Gemini to me with using the 80/20 rule or something as close to it as possible - not simply the words and phrases of a tourist but someone who lives in Japan. 
• I've watched videos of coding on YouTube and it does not do it for me. So I decided to focus on why I want to do. Vibe coding is great but I do want to have a basic understanding of coding. I want to create a choose your own adventure app in Python but I want Gemini to teach me only the portion to creating such an app. I am further along in two days when I have been since I started watching YouTube videos on coding. 
• We created an online store just after the pandemic. We put in some effort on drop shipping. It was fun. We also wanted to migrate to having a more full fledge store with our own inventory supporting the work from home workforce.  However, with the Trump tariffs and the uncertainty that it brought, we decided to pivot and move onto to more of content creation. We used Gemini as a sounding board on our core idea to pivot. We do hope to return to selling physical products in the future.
• I used ChatGPT to plan my evenings. This was interesting because I only gave it my current routine. A simplified but accurate version of what we do each evening. I also asked for 90 minutes where I can work on my projects. It rearranged my evening. I'll give it a go and let you know how it goes.

The most important thing I learned about AI this week is that while privacy may be a concern, the more I was willing to share to provide context, the better the AI was at helping me along with my projects. For our online digital content project, I asked for how we can get something up and running within a month. I felt we can do better - within two weeks. It did not work out as planned. So what happened. I asked Gemini why and it was able to help me come up with a realistic timeline and workflow to get it done. We tried that the last two days and we achieved quite a bit. 

I would suggest giving the AI of your choice the role of a monitor. Someone who is able to keep you on tract. It and help with issues like not knowing what to do to get started to you just procrastinating.

iBook: Why This Classic Name is Perfect for Apple's New Foldable iPhone

I am looking forward to the iPhone Fold. However, the name just does not do it for me. Perhaps the perfect name for the new Apple Fold is the iBook. When released in the second half of next year, it will resemble a book because of its form factor. Other than features that Apple will likely differentiate from fold competitors, in calling its own offering the iBook will bring allow Apple to circle back to a time when computing was fun and the continuing Apple comeback in the consumer computer market.

The original iBook, launched in 1999, was more than just a computer—it was a statement. With its colorful, translucent design clamshell iBook looked like nothing else on the market. It was fun, approachable, and ready to use out of the box. This playful spirit and focus on making technology personal and enjoyable for students and consumers is the exact legacy a new "iBook" could bring back to the Apple brand and the book form iPhone due to be released in late 2026.

By calling the iPhone Fold the "iBook", Apple can achieve a number of marketing goals and messages to the market:

• Reintroducing fun to mobile computing. The book form is entirely new to Apple users. the iBook will introduce completely new computing and mobile uses. Chose between one or two screens or a bigger one. For example, multi-tasking has been a difficult issue for Apple to tackle. Now, with two panels becoming one big one, something like Stage Manager or the new windowing mechanism in iOS 26 may allow users to do more.
• The return of candy-colored nostalgia. Imagine the marketing campaign from Apple. On top of that, with iOS 26 and a revamped and more powerful Siri, Apple can make the iBook the everyday device that users will want for work, home, and fun in the commercials. The colorful schemes will make the iBook stand out from the gray, black, and cold metallic colors competitors offer. 
• Many longtime fans feel Apple has lost the scrappy, pirate spirit of its past—the era of the 'Think Different' campaign and underdog spirit. Today, some view Apple as a corporate behemoth focusing only on shareholder value and is always cold and calcuating. By resurrecting the iBook name, Apple wouldn't just be launching a new product; it would be sending a powerful message to its fans that it hasn't forgotten its innovative, rebellious roots.

What does Apple's competitors have? No legacy items or names like the iBook exist for them. Not Samsung or its Chinese competitors. This "iBook" and its features that Apple has planned for it will indicate to the market that Apple has not forgotten its roots, history, and will continue to innovate and give users the tools they need for decades to come.

More on Apple Fold (iBook) - iPhone Fold Could Be the iPad mini Pro If It Runs Supports iPadOS Features and Apple Pencil

iPhone Fold May Be the Professional Version of the iPad mini

A segment of iPad users have been asking for the iPad mini Pro for years because they want something more powerful. Apple may finally grant these users their collect wish. 

For simplicity, let's call the iPhone Fold the iFold. It will like include some of the latest tech that Apple has to offer.

• Latest Apple Silicon
• Smaller high-density battery to provide battery life that will provide battery life similar to the iPad. However, it is doubtful the battery life match those of the iPhone
• New in-house modem and Wi-Fi chips
• Crease-free display
• New camera system
• IPadOS-like multitasking and windows

Perhaps there could be other features and surprises from Apple for the iFold. One of the often missing features that I want on the iPhone that Apple has yet to provide is Apple Pencil support. Will the iFold support Apple Pencil?

In addition to the features mentioned above, simply being a folded form factor will not be enough for the iFold to be considered a Pro version of the iPad mini. The iFold needs the following support:

• Apple Pencil - a customized version of the Apple Pencil. I do not know if it will support all the features the current Apple Pencil Pro has but it does not have to. At minimum, I can live with being able to draw and write on the iFold
• Mouse and keyboard - All iPhones and iPads support Bluetooth keyboards. The iPads native has Bluetooth mouse support but support on the iPhone is in a bit of a gray area. The iFold has to support the mouse in the same way the iPad does.
• External monitor support. 

The question, and what’s really exciting, is whether we will get any of these features. I am going to go out on a limb and say yes and no. The things about today’s Apple is that you have to be careful what you wish for. At best, they provide us with a feature that we did not know we wanted. At worst, they give us a feature that is so uniquely Apple that users either feel it falls short or just outright hate it. 

Which will it be? Apple still has another year to work out any features they want the idols to have. The iOS team will have a year to learn from user experiences with multitasking and windows and may make some improvements for iOS 27

Whether the iFold is considered to be the pro version of the iPad mini or just a regular old iPhone Fold, there is definitely a lot to be excited about. Smartphones with the fold form factors have been around for at least seven years. Being late to the party has given Apple a lot to see and gauge. There will no doubt be a lot of people including myself who are excited and will be ordering it on day one.