Apple Retail Personnel Instructed to Warn Walk-In Buyers Away on iPhone Duo Launch Day Amid Severe Inventory Shortages

In response to the rapid sellout, Apple issued a public statement to the Financial Times, describing initial customer demand for the iPhone Duo as "nothing short of extraordinary." The company added that its teams were actively working to manufacture and fulfill customer orders as quickly as possible, though it stopped short of offering specific supply recovery timelines.

The extreme scarcity on launch day follows months of reported manufacturing hurdles behind the scenes. Long before Apple officially announced the device, reports began surfacing regarding tight production constraints. In early September, Nikkei Asia reported that manufacturing yields for the foldable smartphone were exceptionally low, with daily production reaching only a few hundred units per day in late August.

Manufacturing challenges continued to build as the release date drew closer. Further production problems emerged in late September, driven by the technical complexity of assembling the novel foldable hardware. The intricate components and tight tolerances required for the device created persistent bottlenecks that limited overall factory output leading into the fall.

The severity of these supply issues led to serious internal discussions regarding the timing of the release. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported earlier this month that Apple leadership had at one point considered whether manufacturing constraints might force the company to delay the start of sales into November. Ultimately, Apple succeeded in assembling enough initial inventory to move forward with its planned October 23 launch date, though available stock remained severely limited—a constraint that extended even to the inventory allocated for retail showcase displays.

Carrying a starting price tag of $1,999 in the United States, the iPhone Duo stands as Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date, with initial pre-order deliveries set to begin arriving to early buyers on October 23. At $1,999, the device enters the market at a significant price premium over traditional flagship smartphones. At equivalent storage capacities, the iPhone Duo costs $800 more than the iPhone 18 Pro and $700 more than the top-tier iPhone 18 Pro Max.