Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, sold out within hours of pre-orders opening on October 16, and shipping dates quickly slipped all the way to January. Ahead of launch day, the company also warned of limited walk-in stock in its stores. Now, if you were hoping things would get better soon, Apple's CEO has some bad news for you.
Apple iPhone Duo
Speaking yesterday, after Apple reported record results for its September quarter, John Ternus said the Duo "is constrained as of today". He added that the production ramp is going well, but that the company can't predict when supply and demand will be in balance. COO Sabih Khan gave analysts practically the same answer on the earnings call, saying it's "really hard to predict" when that will happen.
So if you order an iPhone Duo from Apple today, you're looking at a delivery estimate in January, and stores have had little stock available for online reservations. That's despite Apple reportedly ordering 44% more units from its suppliers last month.
Ternus also addressed the inner display damage some early buyers have run into. He said "a very small percentage" of units have been returned for display issues and that Apple is replacing them. That's in line with what the company said last week, when it pointed affected users to AppleCare.
The September quarter results don't include any Duo sales, since the device only went on sale on October 23. For the current quarter, which covers the holidays, Apple expects revenue to grow between 7% and 10%, a forecast CFO Kevan Parekh says reflects the company's "best view of constrained supply".
