Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, is turning out to be very hard to buy. During the company's latest earnings call, Apple executives confirmed that the new device is facing major supply shortages.
The wait times are stretching into next year, and Apple admits it is struggling to predict exactly when production will finally catch up to buyer demand.'Extraordinary' demand meets low supplyThe iPhone Duo went up for pre-order on October 16, and the stock vanished from Apple's website in just a few hours. A recent report from the Financial Times noted that Apple called this early demand "nothing short of extraordinary."In India, official sales for the foldable started on October 23, but buyers here are facing the same long waiting periods.
Right now, anyone placing a new order is seeing estimated delivery dates pushed all the way back to late January 2027.The shipping delays are so intense that US telecom partners like Verizon have started giving out gift cards to apologize to frustrated customers. During Monday's earnings call, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, Sabih Khan, addressed the ongoing issue. “iPhone Duo is constrained as of today," Khan explained.
While he noted that production is ramping up, he admitted that it is very difficult right now to predict when supply and demand will balance out.Apple CEO John Ternus echoed this, mentioning that the company is thrilled with the early response and is pushing hard to get the phones to buyers as fast as possible.Why is the iPhone Duo delayed? Apple is usually known for running a highly efficient supply chain, but it is facing a perfect storm of problems.
First, building a brand-new foldable device requires complex manufacturing. Second, the booming Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry has created a massive global rush for memory chips.This sudden demand for chips is making parts much more expensive for hardware makers everywhere.
Because of these rising component costs, Khan noted that Apple has reluctantly had to raise the prices on a number of its products.To help speed up the manufacturing process of the iPhone Duo, Apple is expanding its partnership with Perryman, the company that supplies the titanium materials used in the new foldable.Screen cracking issue and Q4 salesWhile Apple works to build more units, it is also dealing with a minor hardware headache. Apple CEO John Ternus confirmed that a "very small percentage" of iPhone Duo units are experiencing inner display cracks.
Apple is actively replacing these faulty phones and is asking any affected users to contact AppleCare directly to get a new device.Despite these early hurdles, Apple is still making massive profits. Because the iPhone Duo launched in October, its early sales were not counted in Apple's fourth-quarter financial results, which ended on September 26.
However, Apple still posted a massive $57.58 billion in iPhone sales for that quarter.This was largely driven by the strong popularity of the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. We will get our first real look at how many iPhone Duo units Apple has sold when the company reveals its December holiday quarter numbers.- Ends