Delivery dates for the iPhone Duo were pushed back to January just minutes after pre-orders opened

Apple has faced a rush of demand for its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, priced starting at $1,999. The company opened pre-orders on October 16, and within minutes of the launch, the estimated delivery dates shown to customers had shifted to January 2027, Bloomberg reported. Analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence believe that sales of the device could exceed their initial forecast of 14 million units for fiscal year 2027.

The official launch of the iPhone Duo is scheduled for October 23. However, due to high demand and limited supply, it will be difficult to purchase the device by that date or in the near future: a notice regarding order shipments did not appear on the company’s website until January, according to Bloomberg.

Some customers on social media complained about the long wait times, even though they had selected their desired color and storage capacity in advance before pre-orders began—Apple itself had recommended doing so to speed up the purchase, the agency reported. At the company’s retail stores, the initial stock of the iPhone Duo also sold out almost instantly after pre-orders began at 8 a.m. New York time.

Sales of the iPhone Duo could exceed the previous forecast of 14 million units and $28 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2027, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen. According to their calculations, if the company convinces iPhone Pro and Pro Max owners to switch to the base model of the foldable smartphone, the average selling price of the iPhone will rise by 82% and 67%, respectively.

Apple shares closed 0.4% higher at $343.46 on October 16, although they had risen as much as 1.7% during the day.

For Apple, the launch of the iPhone Duo will be one of the first major releases under the leadership of new CEO John Turnus. He took the helm in September, and since then the company has unveiled not only new smartphones but also a new device —the HomeView smart display for the home. Later in October, Apple will unveil a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen and other devices, the agency reported.

The September launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max went off without a hitch for everyone who placed their order on time, Bloomberg notes. Apple typically sets aside a portion of devices for walk-in customers on launch day. This could bring back the lines outside the company’s stores and mobile carriers—a tradition that used to be a yearly occurrence during iPhone launches, the agency notes.

The foldable iPhone marked the most significant design change in the device’s history and signaled Apple’s entry into a market long dominated by Samsung. According to a July forecast by the research firm Counterpoint Research, by the end of 2026, the foldable smartphone category will grow by 21% year-over-year, and Apple’s share of that market will be 25%, while Samsung will retain its leadership with a 32% share, down from 40% a year earlier. In 2027, Counterpoint estimates that shipments of the iPhone Duo could more than double, and Apple’s share of the foldable device segment will rise to 40%.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor