Apple\u2019s new iPhone is thinner, lighter and lasts longer than previous models. But the $1799 cost of the iPhone Air may be too high for many Australians to upgrade, an expert says.<\/p>\n
The thinnest iPhone ever is 2.2 millimetres thinner and rounder than last year\u2019s iPhone 16 — a style said to be a retro chic and reminiscent of the first iPhones from 2007.<\/p>\n
At only 5.6mm thick, it weighs less than a carton of cigarettes. But the starting price of $1,799 is a potentially off-putting factor among many consumers still gloomy about the economy.<\/p>\n
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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apple and the big telcos Telstra and Optus will take online orders from Friday, a week before they arrive in stores.<\/p>\n Economist Nicki Hutley warned consumers may be reluctant to switch to a new model that offers few new features. While inflation has moderated, she said consumers still saw little point upgrading to a new iPhone with only a minor change in new features compared with previous upgrades that offered much more powerful cameras.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a bit of an old fart,\u201d she told The Nightly. \u201cI use my phone until it stops working but I think a lot of younger people have this expectation that you just upgrade to the next thing but I don\u2019t think they feel the same way as they might have done five years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got a lot more change between models. You went from a six-megapixel camera to a 12 megapixel camera whereas now it\u2019s marginal differences so why spend all that money?\u201d<\/p>\n iPhone 17<\/p>\n Apple also unveiled the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro Max at an event in the Californian city of Cupertino early Wednesday Australian time. Early reviewers raved about the phones\u2019 bold new colours and the fact the three cameras are lined up across the back of the phone instead of in the top left corner.<\/p>\n The Verge website noted the iPhone 17s were very light. \u2018The profile is as slim as it looks in photos, and it has more rounded edges reminiscent of previous iPhone designs,\u2019 it said.<\/p>\n Tech Radar went further and described the iPhone 17 as a bigger evolution than many realised.<\/p>\n