According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the outlet's chief Apple correspondent, in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple knew that its supply for this device would be severely limited, but opted for a wider international launch. Apple believes this limited stock will eventually iPhone 18 Pro series sales.
How the iPhone Duo preorders fell apart
The Apple Store app opened a couple of minutes after 5 a.m. PT, and by 5:02 a.m. PT, nearly every configuration was showing an early November ship date. This then slid to mid-November, late November, December, then late January. Those who missed placing their orders within the first few minutes were faced with a wait of more than three months.
Gurman says the original plan had been to launch in the US and China first. Instead, Apple decided to go with a launch that covered more than 70 countries on day one. This, Gurman believes, spread the supply thin across far more markets.
He adds that Apple knew it had a severe supply issue when it came to the iPhone Duo. Yet, it decided to prioritize getting the Duo out early in its fiscal first quarter.
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How this affects the iPhone 18 Pro and Galaxy Z Fold 8
Gurman further states that Apple believes the limited stock of the Duo could work in its favor and drive up iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max sales. This is because those who weren't successful with securing a Duo for launch day, or come in to buy one in-store and can't, may eventually opt for an iPhone 18 Pro at roughly half the price. Should this scenario play out, it may help 18 Pro sales, but won't excuse botching the Duo launch.
Apple reportedly hopes shoppers who can't find a Duo walk out with an iPhone 18 Pro instead. | Image by Apple
In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 8's sellout looked very different. According to a report, the Z Fold 8sold out at launch in late July, with the popular colors slipping to August 21, which was about two weeks past its launch date, not three months.
For Fold 8 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold potential buyers, this news doesn't move the needle as both these devices are in stock and available to purchase now. For iPhone 18 Pro owners, nothing changes either, as it seems Apple just wants more of you.
Who is stuck waiting past launch day
This preorder and launch-day fiasco exposes who has the most to lose. Those are the early adopters who are most willing to spend $1,999 on a first-generation phone. Those who are willing to wait it out and receive theirs in late January are already roughly a quarter of the way to the Duo 2's rumored launch.
If you ordered the Duo after the first few minutes that preorders opened, you probably already have a late January ship date. However, if you were planning on taking a gamble on a launch-day store visit, know that stock availability is an unknown.
I'm not switching my preorder to an iPhone 18 Pro
I preordered from Apple and got stuck with a November 16 to 23 window. Still, there is no way I'd be canceling my existing preorder in order to get an 18 Pro instead. I'd rather wait and continue using my iPhone Air for my iOS needs.
That said, it does sting to think that if Apple had kept its original launch plans smaller, ship dates could have been more reasonable for those in the US and China. I hope that Apple does figure things out and gets ahead of the supply issues. I also hope this serves as a lesson learned when it comes to planning the launch for the Duo 2.
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Johanna Romero is a Senior News Writer at PhoneArena, covering mobile technology news across Android, iOS, wearables, and the Google ecosystem she knows best. Drawing on 15 years in IT and tech support from 2007 to 2022, she brings a user-friendly eye for the practical features and lesser-known tricks readers care about. Google named her an official #TeamPixel member in 2022, and she also reviews the latest devices on her YouTube channel, JoJo the Techie.
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