- iPhone Duo shipping dates have slipped to January worldwide
- Stock may be limited if you try to pick one up at an Apple Store as well
- Retail availability and the first pre-order ends on October 23rd
We already had an indication that iPhone Duo sales were going pretty well when the shipping dates for pre-orders started to slip into next year, and now Apple is apparently telling sales staff that availability in stores will be limited as well.
According to Apple Store employees speaking to MacRumors, Apple said that customers without a pre-order should be warned against going to their local outlet in anticipation of picking up an iPhone Duo on Friday, October 23.
That’s the designated day when online pre-orders should start shipping to buyers, and when — in theory — the iPhone Duo will be available for purchase in-store. This latest report suggests that may not be immediately possible.
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It’s unclear whether the instructions to the Apple Store employees who spoke to MacRumors apply across the US or globally, but set your expectations accordingly: don’t assume you’ll be able to walk into an Apple Store on Friday and get yourself a shiny new iPhone Duo.
Keeping up with demand
With shipping times for online pre-orders now slipping into 2027, it’s possible that there are quite a few Apple fans interested in the iPhone Duo who are thinking of taking the walk-in retail route – but it appears that stock there is very limited as well.
Before the phone was unveiled, there was some buzz around a launch delay due to production issues, and this may follow after that. Whatever the full story is, Apple can’t seem to keep up with demand right now.
The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable phone, and starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499. A quick check on Apple’s site at the time of writing shows pre-orders scheduled to ship in January for the cheapest 256GB model in the US, UK and Australia.
In a statement shared with CNBC, Apple previously described iPhone Duo pre-order levels as “nothing short of exceptional”. If you’ve decided the iPhone Duo is the handset for you, we’ve rounded up the best pre-order deals currently available.
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