Apple CEO John Ternus said the company cannot forecast when production of the iPhone Duo will meet demand. His comments followed Apple’s release of quarterly results.
Ternus made the remarks to Reuters after the results, as first reported by The Verge. The company describes availability of the new handset as constrained and says it cannot predict when supply and demand will reach equilibrium.
Preorders quickly outpaced available phones
The iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable smartphone, launched at $1,999 with a 5.4-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch internal display. Preorders sold out quickly, and Apple made only a limited number of units available through physical stores at launch.
Some customers reported delivery estimates extending into 2027. MacRumors, meanwhile, reported January delivery estimates for orders placed when it published its report, suggesting the wait may vary by order date, configuration or market.
The shortage limits Apple’s first foldable launch
The supply crunch matters because the Duo is Apple’s first entry in the foldable-phone category, where availability will shape how quickly the company can turn early interest into sales. Buyers are committing $1,999 for a device that may take months to arrive, while constrained inventory also restricts retail demonstrations and immediate purchases.
Apple reported $114.5 billion in revenue for its September quarter, up 12% from a year earlier. Sales of the foldable were not included because it launched after that quarter ended, leaving its contribution to Apple’s next results dependent in part on whether production can increase.
Ternus also said only a very small proportion of devices had been returned over inner-display problems, and Apple is providing replacements to affected customers. The company has not disclosed when availability will improve, the scale or technical cause of the display issue, or whether delivery estimates reaching 2027 apply across every region and configuration.
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