Apple does not know when supply of its foldable iPhone Duo will meet demand, chief operating officer Sabih Khan told investors on the company's earnings call on Monday, Nov. 2. "iPhone Duo is constrained as of today," Khan said. "But at this time, it's really hard to predict when supply and demand will be in balance."
The iPhone Duo, Apple's most expensive smartphone to date, sold out shortly after its official launch on Oct. 23. Apple told the Financial Times that demand was "nothing short of extraordinary." Bloomberg's Mark Gurman posited that Apple expected supply chain issues from the start, according to the report.
Buyers who did not preorder or line up at an Apple store face shipping times that extend into 2027, according to the report. Some outlets reported that carriers including Verizon offered gift cards as apologies for the delays.
CEO John Ternus said Apple will deepen its partnership with Perryman, a titanium producer that supplies parts for the device. "We've been thrilled with the early response from reviewers and customers, and we are working hard to get iPhone Duo into customers' hands as quickly as we can," Ternus said.
On the call, Khan said Apple has raised prices on numerous products because of rising memory chip and hardware costs driven by the AI industry. He said those decisions were made "reluctantly." Prices for MacBooks and iPads rose up to 25% in June, the report notes.
The report also cites Korean reports that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 sales rose 20% in the week after the iPhone Duo became available. It also mentions recent reports of cracked displays on the iPhone Duo.