Just when you think you've got away, they reel you back in. I really didn't think I was interested in the new iPhone line up. I was convinced. And the one model in particular that I really wasn't interested in was the iPhone Air.
Sure, it's thinner – but that slim profile comes with some many costs (including in the literal sense). The battery life is the weakest of the bunch, hence the announcement of a special battery pack. It only packs a single camera lens (can it really darken the door of our best iPhone for photography roundup?). And it starts at a whopping $999. And yet – yet! – somehow, Apple has made me want one.
It's at this point that I have to admit that Apple's marketing team is, unsurprisingly for one of the world's richest companies, first class. It has managed to make me, an iPhone Air-sceptic, lust after the shiny new device and conveniently forget its shortcomings.
We've seen accurate renders of the iPhone Air for months, but somehow Apple has managed to make it look thinner and shinier than expected. The promo ad's calming music and voiceover create the impression of a device that can truly float – which is helped by the slow-mo footage of it literally floating. Even the name, iPhone Air, with no '17' makes this feel like a much more quintessential new product, as opposed to simply part of the line up.
Apple is pushing the iPhone Air as the future, and despite my best intentions, I'm falling for it. That MagSafe Battery Pack that you might call a necessary evil? Look how much thinner and lighter it looks than the previous battery pack! That previously unsightly horizontal camera bump? Now I know it's called a 'Plateau', it's suddenly beautiful! That shiny mirrored finish that harks back to older stainless steel models? Truly futuristic! The way the phone becomes the 'I' in the ad's 'Air' typography? Ingenious! That £999 price? Nothing for such a beautiful object!
All of which is a testament to Apple's knowledge that small details make all the difference. Those details add up, and no matter how many polished 3D renders fans create based on rumours in the build-up to the launch, nothing can turn heads like the story Apple is so good at telling. Time will tell whether the Air holds up in the harsh light of day (ie. reviews), but for now, all we have is Apple's narrative – and as ever, it's an extremely tempting one.
