Apple’s rumored new “iPhone 17 Air” (which some say will be dubbed the “iPhone Slim”) has entered the new product introduction phase (NPI) at Foxconn, according to DigiTimes.
The NPI process has several phases, including:
° Initial idea and concept: The beginning of the NPI process;
° Feasibility study: Part of the key stages of NPI;
° Design and development: Part of the key stages of NPI;
° Pre-production: Involves creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test against requirements;=
° Prototype: Involves planning for material needs, sourcing, and logistics to prevent delays;
° Pilot production and validation: Involves running pilot production runs to validate the manufacturing processes;
° Testing: Involves analyzing the product for its strengths and weaknesses;
° Evaluation: Involves reviewing the product’s performance and taking feedback into account;
° Launch/manufacturing;
° Mass production.
The NPI process is designed to help reduce production costs, speed up time to market, and improve product quality.
As for the rumored “iPhone Air,” it will have no physical SIM card, according to The Information (a subscription is required to read the article).
An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to use a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical nano-SIM. In the U.S., all iPhone 14 and later models don’t have a SIM card tray, and use eSIM technology. However, Apple hasn’t released any iPhones without a SIM card tray outside of the U.S.
The Information also claims that the iPhone Air is likely to be the thinnest iPhone ever with a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm. However, that svelte design welcome at a price. It will purportedly pack only one speaker and have a smaller battery that current iPhones.
As for other iPhone 17 models, The Information says the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will have “significant design changes.” Those include a part-aluminum, part-glass design and a “rectangular camera bump made of aluminum rather than traditional 3D glass,” while the bottom half will continue to be made of glass to support wireless charging.
