// 9TO5MAC — MOBILE & WEB
iPhone Duo launch is a massive success, but Apple has a problem
iPhone Duo pre-orders opened today, but if you weren’t there right at the start, you likely now can’t get one before 2027. That makes the iPhone Duo launch a massive success, but also reflects a missed opportunity for Apple.
Before the iPhone Duo was unveiled last month, I was unsure how the public would respond to the new model. Would it seem too weird compared to standard iPhones? Would the $2,000+ price tag limit early adopters to tech enthusiasts like me?
Yet in my estimation, Apple has pulled off a basically flawless product introduction.
Starting with the September 9 unveiling, iPhone Duo’s marketing rollout has been among the best I’ve seen from Apple. The company knew it had a uniquely special product, and has given it the first-class treatment.
Anecdotally, iPhone Duo has stirred more excitement than any other recent model I can remember. Not just among “techie” early adopters, not just among the ultra-wealthy, and not even just among current iPhone users. Some of my Android friends even seem very interested.
All of this buzz was seemingly proven genuine by today’s near instant sell-out after pre-orders went live. Current shipping estimates for new orders are pushed back to late January 2027. That’s more than three months backordered—an unprecedented delay.
And today’s launch I think can be described both as a huge win and also a missed opportunity for Apple.
It’s remarkable that Apple was able to introduce a foldable iPhone, which costs $2,000+, and instantly sell out. It’s amazing how much interest and excitement the iPhone Duo has garnered from a wide-ranging base of “average consumers.”
But it’s also a big problem that Apple can’t deliver anywhere close to a supply-demand balance for such a desired, ultra-premium product.
It’s not a surprise that the iPhone Duo quickly became backordered. But getting pushed out three months within 30 minutes of pre-orders opening proves just how much trouble Apple has had mass-producing the Duo.