John Ternus’s leadership at Apple is not off to the best start. The former senior vice president of hardware engineering took over as CEO from Tim Cook, who stepped down last year.
Ternus has already overseen two major events, and one of the most significant devices in Apple’s history was unveiled at one of them: the iPhone Duo.
Pre-orders opened on October 16, with deliveries scheduled to begin on October 23. But when customers started placing orders, many were surprised to find that their delivery dates had been pushed back by months.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
What happened when pre-orders opened on Friday?
As soon as pre-orders opened on Friday, the iPhone Duo began selling out quickly. Within minutes, estimated delivery dates had shifted from October 23 to November.
Later that day, they reportedly moved to January 2027, leaving some customers facing a wait of more than three months.
That means anyone who missed the initial ordering window could be waiting until January for a phone that costs more than $2,000. That’s a lot to ask of customers who were ready to spend a premium on Apple’s first foldable iPhone.
Why did this happen, and why is it a mistake?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple knew supplies would be severely limited. Foxconn’s final assembly yield was reportedly just above 60% as of September 17, while production was limited to a few hundred units a day in late August.
Apple initially planned to launch the Duo in the US and China before expanding to other markets. Instead, it opened pre-orders in more than 70 countries from the start, spreading its limited supply across a much larger market.
Gurman called the decision a “major mistake”. He suggested Apple may have prioritised getting the Duo to market early in its fiscal first quarter over meeting customer demand.
For a company that has spent decades turning its supply chain into a competitive advantage, this is a bad look.
Apple has dealt with launch delays before, but not quite like this
Apple has experienced shortages with previous iPhone launches. The iPhone X had a wait of around six weeks, while the iPhone 7 Plus faced delays of roughly two months.
But a wait stretching into January for a phone launched in October is particularly striking.
By the time some customers receive their Duo, they could already be a few months away from the next expected generation. That’s a long wait for a device that may be succeeded by a newer model later in the year.
The potential upside: more iPhone Pro sales
There may be one silver lining for Apple. According to Gurman’s report, the company believes the Duo’s limited availability could help drive sales of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Some customers will visit Apple Stores hoping to buy a Duo, find it unavailable, and settle for a Pro model instead. Others may be drawn in by the foldable design and marketing campaign, only to decide that a traditional Pro is a better fit at roughly half the price.
Either way, Apple hopes customers leave with a new iPhone.
Should you cancel your pre-order?
If your delivery date has slipped to January and you need a new phone soon, you could consider alternatives such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series or Google’s Pixel Fold series.
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