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Camping out overnight in front of the Apple Store and being the first out with the new iPhone in the morning: That's not supposed to work with the iPhone Duo. Employees are now reportedly explicitly advising customers without a pre-order not to even come to the store on launch day.
On Friday, October 23, the first pre-ordered iPhone Duos will be delivered to customers. Those who haven't pre-ordered by then will likely be out of luck in stores. Employees at several Apple Stores told MacRumors they were informed that no devices are expected to be available for walk-up purchases on the day of sale.
The information comes from store employees; there is no internal document. The report does not say which countries the employees are reporting from, nor does it mention any restriction to individual markets. It does, however, fit everything that has emerged since pre-orders began: Apple itself calls the demand for the iPhone Duo "nothing short of extraordinary", and online, the delivery date has long since slipped into next year. All specifications and prices for the device are on the iPhone Duo fact page.
Key Facts at a Glance
- It is expected that there will be no iPhone Duo available in Apple Stores on October 23rd for customers without a pre-order.
- Staff are instructed to advise prospective visitors without an appointment against coming, as they would likely be disappointed.
- Apple's online store in the US, as in Germany, indicates Saturday, October 24th for pickup – without any guarantee that devices will be available then.
- For online orders, Apple states January 25, 2027 as the delivery date in both the US and Germany.
What the employees report
According to the report, store teams are actively discouraging customers without pre-orders from coming to the store on the day of the sale expecting to make a purchase. The reason given is simply that there will likely be no devices available for them.
A notice appears in the online store, both in the US and Germany: Availability for pickup can be checked again starting Saturday, October 24th. Pickup slots could briefly be reserved at the start of pre-orders, but Apple deactivated the option afterward. The notice does not confirm that devices will actually be available on October 24th.
How the shortage became apparent
The instruction to the stores is the latest link in a chain that began even before the announcement. The signals came from the supply chain, from Apple's retail planning, and finally from the online store itself.
| Time | What became known |
|---|---|
| mid-September | Final assembly at Foxconn achieves a yield of around 60 percent (Jiemian, a source from the supply chain) |
| October 11 | Apple had initially expected a sales launch in November; stock is sufficient for October 23, but remains tight (Bloomberg) |
| mid-October | Orders with suppliers increased by 30 percent; volume for the rest of the year below 10 million devices (Securities Times) |
| October 16 | Delivery date for new orders within half an hour: January 25, 2027 |
| October 16 | Apple described the demand to the Financial Times as "nothing short of extraordinary" |
| October 17 | Store employee: likely no stock available for impulse purchases on the day of sale |
The final assembly yield comes from a report on production at Foxconn, and the increased order from a report on 30 percent more orders to suppliers. Both rely on individual, unnamed sources. At the same time, Apple's retail planning for the US stores included more than 150 demo units at Fifth Avenue alone – so the device is plentifully available to try out, just not to take home.
Germany starts on the same day
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are part of the first sales wave for the iPhone Duo and will also launch on October 23. Apple's German online store also shows January 25, 2027, as the delivery date for all configurations, as noted in the overview for the pre-order launch. This means there are 94 days between the start of sales and delivery.
Why queuing isn't worth it this time
I believe that announcing the situation to customers beforehand is the more honest approach. A queue in front of the store, at the end of which many go home empty-handed, is more detrimental to the launch than a clear announcement in advance.
The fact that Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are part of the first wave of sales doesn't help impulse buyers much. The sales day primarily benefits those who have already pre-ordered. If you haven't pre-ordered, your chances are better from Saturday, October 24th, with an available pickup slot in the Apple Store app than by waiting until the night before the store opens – provided you check the availability regularly.
Would you have stood in front of an Apple Store on Friday morning without a pre-order – or is a foldable iPhone starting at €2,299 not exactly an impulse buy for you anyway? Tell us in the comments how you plan to get your hands on your device.
