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Anyone adding more than two iPhone Duos to their cart will be prevented from proceeding to checkout. Apple then displays a message about a limit per customer, not only in the US but also in the German Apple Store. This limit is not mentioned on the product page.
Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo opened on October 16th, with sales starting this Friday. Apple has described demand as exceptional, and delivery dates in the online store quickly slipped into January after pre-orders began.
The quantity limit was first noticed in the US. Users in the iPhone Duo subreddit reported a message appearing when ordering more than two devices. I checked this in the German store: the same limit applies there.
Key Facts at a Glance
- The Apple Store allows a maximum of two iPhone Duos per customer to be ordered.
- The limit applies in the US and the German Apple Store; in China, Singapore and Hong Kong, Apple clearly indicates it.
- The information only appears in the shopping cart; the limit is not shown on the product page.
- According to their own statements, some US buyers were still able to order four devices at the start of pre-orders.
What the German store displays
In the German Apple Store, I added two iPhone Duos to my shopping cart and tried to add a third. Then this message appeared:
A maximum of two iPhone Duos can be purchased per customer. Please correct the total number of iPhone Duos in your order before proceeding to checkout.
You can only proceed to checkout once the quantity reaches two again. There is no indication of this limit on the product page or in the configurator beforehand.
Where else the limit applies
In the US, the store displays the same notice, also only in the shopping cart, both in the online store and in the Apple Store app. In China, Singapore, and Hong Kong, however, Apple explicitly states the limit of two devices per customer at the time of purchase.
Reports regarding the pre-order launch are contradictory. Some US users claim to have been able to order four devices, while others were already limited to two. At the same time, Apple is moving some orders forward to earlier dates, while other buyers are reporting later delivery times.
| Market | Limit per customer | Where visible |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | only in the shopping cart |
| USA | 2 | only in the shopping cart |
| China, Singapore, Hong Kong | 2 | open when buying |
A signal to resellers
I primarily interpret the limit as a measure against resellers who buy up scarce devices in large quantities and resell them at a markup. With a device whose delivery dates extend into January, this is quite plausible. However, the fact that Apple only displays the limit in the shopping cart, as in the US, and not on the product page itself, makes it unnecessarily opaque for buyers.
The limit has so far been implemented in five markets: Germany, the USA, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong. I assume that the limit applies in all countries where the iPhone Duo is sold.
For most buyers, a limit of two devices is unlikely to be an issue in everyday life; it primarily affects group orders. However, those ordering for the whole family will only notice this shortly before payment.
Did you order more than one iPhone Duo, perhaps for family or a partner, and did you hit the limit? Let us know in the comments what the store showed you.
