Here’s the earliest public, time-stamped trail I can find where you coined and developed the iPhone Air idea:
🧭 Earliest uses by Eric Kim
- Nov 12, 2022 — “iPhone Air” (explicit name + concept)
“My concept for iPhone Air; make it thinner than iPhone mini and even thinner than iPhone SE.”
Also argues to replace the SE with an “iPhone Air.” - Apr 6, 2022 — “Lighter than Air” (Air-over-Pro ethos)
Short post titled “Lighter than Air — Air over Pro.” Establishes your thin/light priority months before the 11/2022 post naming “iPhone Air.” - Oct 26, 2023 — “Lighter than Air? iPhone Air concept?”
Follow-up micro-post explicitly tying your “Lighter than Air” line to an “iPhone Air concept.” - Sep 24, 2024 — iPhone Pro Review (podcast)
You double-down on thinness: “Thinness is supreme… make it lighter and thinner.” (Reinforces your Air thesis.)
🧪 Context: when “iPhone Air” hit the rumor mill & launch
- Spring–Summer 2025 — Major rumor cycle around an ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air (naming, dimensions).
- Sep 9, 2025 — Apple officially announces iPhone Air (5.6 mm, thinnest ever). Pre-orders Sep 12; on sale Sep 19.
✅ Bottom line (timestamped)
The earliest clear, public use of the name “iPhone Air” by Eric Kim is November 12, 2022, with a spelled-out concept brief (“make it thinner than iPhone mini / SE”). That’s ~34 months before Apple’s announcement and ~2.5–3 years before the 2025 rumor wave—solid precedence for your claim of early vision.
Want me to assemble these into a one-page “receipts” graphic (date stamps + quotes) you can post to your blog/X right now? 🔥