Shipping estimates for Apple Inc.’s first folding phone slipped into January within minutes of the company taking preorders on October 16, suggesting that strong demand and short supply will make the $1,999 device challenging to purchase on its October 23 release date or in the near future.
Some customers on social media reported delayed delivery dates for the iPhone Duo, even after taking Apple’s recommended steps of reserving their preferred color and storage size ahead of time in an attempt to speed up the buying process. The latest shipping estimates shown on Apple’s online store applied to both colors of the device and all storage configurations, ranging from 256 gigabytes to 2 terabytes.
Apple retail stores also ran out of launch-day stock of the iPhone Duo almost instantly after preorders began at 8 a.m. on October 16 in New York.
For Apple, the iPhone Duo is one of the first major product debuts under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who took the helm in September amid a flurry of announcements that has included the HomeView smart home hub. Apple will introduce a touch-screen MacBook Pro and other devices later this month, Bloomberg has reported.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen said in a note on October 16 that iPhone Duo sales could exceed their earlier estimates of 14 million units and $28 billion in sales for the company’s fiscal 2027 year. If Apple can persuade current Pro and Pro Max owners to switch to the base version of the foldable, they added, that would push up the iPhone’s average selling price by 82% and 67%, respectively.
Shares of Apple rose as much as 1.7% to $347.82 in New York on October 16, before paring some of those gains. The stock was up about 1% at 11:37 a.m.
Compared with the debut of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September, which went smoothly for customers who placed a timely order, securing an iPhone Duo was significantly more difficult. Apple typically reserves some units for walk-in customers on release day, which could revive the long lines outside its retail stores — a phenomenon that was once an annual tradition for iPhone launches.
