Expect supplies for the iPhone Duo, Macs and iPad to remain tight. In an earnings call today, Apple couldn’t even say when the long wait for its first foldable bar would end.
“iPhone Duo is limited starting today,” said Apple COO Sabih Khan. When pre-orders opened last month, shipping dates quickly slipped to January 2027, and while the company is ramping up production, “it’s really hard to predict when supply and demand will be in balance,” Khan said.
Macs and iPads also remain limited for the fourth quarter due to the ongoing memory shortage. “That’s because the demand was higher than what we expected,” he added.
In another worrying sign, Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, said the company expects “even higher memory costs” in Q4 and beyond. “We see the prices for memory costs continue to rise,” he said.
Due to rising costs, Ternus also said that “manufacturing purchase obligations” increased by $33 billion between Q2 and Q3. However, Apple executives did not mention the increase in product prices, which it already did for Mac and iPad models in June and for iPhones in September. It will, however, seek lower costs for non-memory components to offset the increase and rely on existing inventory in the short term.
“We’re really thoughtful and deliberate about evaluating the kind of short-term and long-term considerations, and we really believe we’re balancing this well,” said Apple CFO Kevan Parekh.
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Despite the memory concerns, Apple’s earnings for Q3 were particularly strong. The iPhone achieved record Q3 sales, even though the company only launched the duo and the new iPhone 18 Pros, without a base model.
The company’s Mac line also set a Q3 record for customers “new to the Mac,” Ternus said, a sign that the MacBook Neo is gaining traction, despite its own price hike. The company’s Mac minis have also sold well for people who want to run AI locally. “We’ve never sold more Macs in a fiscal year than we did this time,” noted Apple’s CEO.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Chief Reporter
experience
I have been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a school and urban reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, covering satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I am currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I have covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories about availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival suppliers such as AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I combed through FCC filings for the latest news and drove to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly collecting and selling their personal information to third-party customers, as disclosed in my joint filing. investigation with motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I am now tracking how the AI-driven memory shortage will affect the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump into the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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