iPhone Duo Pre-Orders Slipped to January 25 in Half an Hour--Apple Calls the Demand "Nothing Short of Extraordinary," Its Stores Expect No Walk-In Stock on October 23, and the Price Stays $1,999 to $3,199

2026October 19, 2026Macs Only!Apple hardware
Three iPhone Duo phones on a white background: a star white one on the left, partly folded, with a yellow April calendar on its outer screen and two rear cameras showing; one in the center open flat to its inner display, which shows a Lock Screen reading Wed Apr 1 and 9:41 over sand dunes and mountains; and one on the right, partly folded, with the Camera app on both panels showing a woman in a red sweater lying on red earth.
Photo: Apple · Three iPhone Duo phones on a white background: a star white one on the left, partly folded, with a yellow April calendar on its outer screen and two rear cameras showing; one in the center open flat to its inner display, which shows a Lock Screen reading Wed Apr 1 and 9:41 over sand dunes and mountains; and one on the right, partly folded, with the Camera app on both panels showing a woman in a red sweater lying on red earth.

iPhone Duo pre-orders opened at 5 a.m. Pacific on October 16, and by 5:30 a.m. every configuration on Apple's U.S. online store showed a January 25 delivery date, per MacRumors' 5:22 a.m. report. Apple's answer, in a statement to the Financial Times reported by MacRumors, is that the demand "has been nothing short of extraordinary." If you did not order in the first half hour you will not have a Duo in 2026, and Apple Store employees say there will likely be no stock for walk-ins on October 23.

The dates moved in half an hour

Orders placed at 5 a.m. got the October 23 launch day, MacRumors says; by 5:30 a.m. the U.S. store showed January 25 for both colors and all four capacities. Apple Store pickup was an option for a few minutes, then the store replaced it with a notice to check back on Saturday, October 24. 9to5Mac watched the estimates step from late October to November, December and January, with some Brazilian orders at early February, and found resellers on eBay and X asking as much as $10,000. CBS News had the window opening at 8 a.m. Eastern and the delivery date pushed past October 23 "within minutes." The prices did not move: $1,999 for 256GB, $2,199 for 512GB, $2,599 for 1TB and $3,199 for 2TB, per MacRumors' pre-order guide of October 15.

Apple's statement names no number

"The pre-order demand for iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been nothing short of extraordinary," the statement reads. "We are working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers' hands as quickly as possible." 9to5Mac's copy of it adds "and we will continue accepting orders online." CBS News asked how many pre-orders Apple took, and "Apple did not immediately respond." The numbers in circulation are an analyst's: Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives sees demand "running well ahead of supply out of the gates" and projects about 10 million Duos over the next few quarters and up to 25 million in 2027. The number Apple will give is revenue, on November 2, and our October 11 preview of the quarter says what to listen for.

The stores expect no walk-in stock on October 23

MacRumors' October 17 report on the retail guidance says Apple Store employees have been told to discourage customers without a pre-order from coming in on launch day, because "there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day." Apple's online store tells customers to "check back on Saturday, October 24 for pickup availability." A second group of 28 countries and regions gets the Duo on Friday, October 30, per Apple's September 9 press release, which set the first group at more than 70.

What you can still do

Apple keeps taking orders on apple.com and in the Apple Store app, and Apple's October 15 ordering guide lists the ways to pay: Apple Upgrade, a lease provided by Klarna, from $57.99 a month over 24 months; Apple Card Monthly Installments at 0 percent APR; carrier credit of up to $1,200 for an iPhone 14 Pro Max or higher; and Apple Trade In credit of $175 to $885 for an iPhone 13 or higher. The phone is the one in our September 15 report on the iPhone Duo, and the apps are being rebuilt for it with the material in our September 24 item on Apple's free Duo developer videos.

Then and now

The last time we watched Apple's order queue this closely was October 1999. On October 13 of that year Apple cut the Power Mac G4's clock speeds at the same prices, cancelled the 450 MHz backorders and said the 500 MHz model would not ship until the next year, which our October 14, 1999 commentary on the G4 speed cut called a gouge; on October 18 the Apple Store emailed customers that "after a good night's sleep" it had reversed the cancellations, in our October 18, 1999 report on the G4 order confusion; and our October 19, 1999 note that the 400 and 450 MHz backorders were reinstated recorded that 500 MHz orders would be filled with a 450 at the 450 price, that our own 450 was back in the queue at PowerMax, and that the supply of 450s "will be constrained." Our November 8, 1999 note on converting that order to a 400 is how the wait ended. Twenty-seven years on, the orders stand at full price, and the wait is three months rather than a speed grade. We would wait for January before we paid a reseller $10,000 for a phone that lists at $1,999.

Sources

  1. MacRumors, “Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now - MacRumors” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 16, 2026, 5:22 a.m. Pacific, Joe Rossignol: pre-orders opened at 5 a.m. Pacific on October 16; early orders placed at 5 a.m. qualified for launch-day delivery on October 23; by 5:30 a.m. every configuration on Apple's U.S. online store, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB in star white and night sky, showed a January 25 delivery estimate; Apple Store pickup was briefly an option and was then disabled, with Apple telling customers to check back on Saturday, October 24; accessed October 19, 2026.
  2. MacRumors, “Apple Calls iPhone Duo Demand 'Extraordinary' After Orders Slip to 2027 - MacRumors” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 16, 2026, 3:53 p.m. Pacific, Juli Clover: Apple's statement to the Financial Times, "The pre-order demand for iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers' hands as quickly as possible"; delivery dates slipped from October 23 to November within minutes and reached January 25 by 5:30 a.m.; $1,999 to $3,199; accessed October 19, 2026.
  3. 9to5Mac, “Apple calls iPhone Duo pre-order demand 'extraordinary' as shipping dates slip - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 16, 2026, Marcus Mendes: the statement, attributed to CNBC, with the closing clause "and we will continue accepting orders online"; shipping estimates slipped from late October into November, then December, then January, with some orders in Brazil at early February; resellers on eBay and X asking as much as $10,000; accessed October 19, 2026.
  4. CBS News, “Apple's iPhone Duo pre-orders sell out within minutes as delivery dates slip into 2027” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 16, 2026, 3:34 p.m. Eastern, Mary Cunningham, CBS MoneyWatch: the pre-order window opened Friday at 8 a.m. Eastern on apple.com and in the Apple Store app and "within minutes" the estimated delivery was pushed past October 23 into the next year; Dan Ives, a partner at Yorkville Ives, demand "running well ahead of supply out of the gates," projecting about 10 million Duos in the next few quarters and up to 25 million in 2027; "Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many pre-order requests it received"; accessed October 19, 2026.
  5. MacRumors, “iPhone Duo: Pre-Order Time and Release Date - MacRumors” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 15, 2026, Joe Rossignol: pre-orders Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific; release Friday, October 23 in the U.S. and more than 70 countries, 28 more on October 30; U.S. prices $1,999 for 256GB, $2,199 for 512GB, $2,599 for 1TB and $3,199 for 2TB; colors star white and night sky; accessed October 19, 2026.
  6. MacRumors, “Apple Store Staff Warn Against iPhone Duo Walk-Ins on Launch Day - MacRumors” accessed Oct 19, 2026October 17, 2026, 2:30 p.m. Pacific, Hartley Charlton: Apple Store employees have been told to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming in on the October 23 launch day; "there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day"; Apple's online store says "check back on Saturday, October 24 for pickup availability"; accessed October 19, 2026.
  7. Apple Newsroom, “Open up to new possibilities with iPhone Duo - Apple” accessed Oct 19, 2026UPDATE October 15, 2026: "Beginning Friday, October 16, at 5 a.m. PT, customers can pre-order iPhone Duo on apple.com and in the Apple Store app"; Apple Upgrade, a lease provided by Klarna, with 12- and 24-month terms "starting as low as $57.99 ... per month for a 24-month lease"; Apple Card Monthly Installments at 0 percent APR; "Up to $1,200 in credit toward iPhone Duo when trading in iPhone 14 Pro Max or higher" through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon; Apple Trade In "instant credit ranging from $175 to $885 when trading in an eligible iPhone 13 or higher"; the hero picture of three iPhone Duo phones, two folded and the center one open; accessed October 19, 2026.
  8. Apple Newsroom, “Apple unveils iPhone Duo - Apple” accessed Oct 19, 2026September 9, 2026: pre-orders at 5 a.m. Pacific on Friday, October 16 in more than 70 countries and regions, including the U.S., with availability beginning Friday, October 23; 28 other countries and regions beginning Friday, October 30; from $1,999 in star white and night sky; accessed October 19, 2026.

Then and now

All pairings

In October 1999 Apple reinstated the Power Mac G4 backorders and pushed the 500 MHz model to the next year; in October 2026 iPhone Duo pre-orders slipped to January 25 within half an hour.

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