Apple originally planned to hold the iPhone Duo until November and sell it only in the United States and China, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Instead, the company put its first foldable iPhone on sale on Friday, October 23, in more than 70 countries.
Gurman made the claim in his newsletter dated November 1, which MacRumors summarized on Monday. In his telling, Apple rushed the Duo to market without enough inventory to meet demand. The report does not explain in more detail why Apple chose to move the launch forward.
The shortage shows up in what customers see today. MacRumors notes that the Duo currently carries a delivery estimate of January 25 and is hard to find in stores. Before launch, Apple retail staff were reportedly told to discourage walk-in customers who had not pre-ordered, because stock was expected to run out quickly on launch day.
Apple's own newsroom described the October 23 debut as the device arriving at Apple Store locations worldwide, with customers trying the phone at stores in cities such as Mumbai.
The supply picture also lines up with what Apple said on its earnings call on Monday. As covered separately, CEO John Ternus said the iPhone Duo is supply-constrained and that Apple cannot give a date for when supply will catch up with demand.
It is worth keeping the sourcing in view. The original November, U.S.-and-China-only plan is Gurman's report, and Apple has not publicly confirmed it. What is confirmed is the broad launch on October 23 and Apple's acknowledgment that it cannot currently meet demand.
For shoppers, the practical takeaway is to expect long waits. Those who want the Duo may need to join the delivery queue or check in with local stores about availability, since Apple has not offered a timeline for improvement.
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