Apple knew the iPhone Duo would face severe supply constraints for manufacturing challenges, but opened pre-orders on Friday anyway instead of waiting for more inventory, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter on Sunday, he called the decision a major mistake.
“Let me cut to the chase: Apple made a major mistake here,” Gurman said. He said Apple knew supply would be severely limited but went ahead with the launch, apparently prioritizing an early debut in its fiscal first quarter over satisfying demand. That, he said, will disappoint many of the early adopters most eager to buy the phone.
Gurman said Apple originally intended to launch the iPhone Duo only in the U.S. and China, and expand to other countries later. The company instead decided to start pre-orders in more than 70 countries at once.
Less than 30 minutes after pre-orders began, Apple’s estimated shipping dates slipped to around January 25 in most countries. Apple typically underpromises and overdelivers on delivery dates, MacRumors noted, so some customers may see their estimates move up slightly.
Apple retail employees have been told to warn customers against visiting stores to buy an iPhone Duo without a pre-order on launch day, Friday, October 23.
Store employees told the site they have been advised there will likely be no stock for walk-in purchases, and they have been instructed to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming in.
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Apple described demand for the iPhone Duo as extraordinary, and that an iPhone Duo was resold for USD 5,000 on eBay after the phone sold out. The iPhone Duo launches on October 23. The HomePod mini 2 follows on October 30, and the HomeView smart home hub and new Apple TV on November 13.