iPhone Duo Launch: Reportedly No Walk-In Stock

Quick summary: This is scary if you don’t have an iPhone Duo pre-order, or yours is far away. Apple retail employees have reportedly been told to warn customers not to show up on launch day, Friday, October 23, without a pre-order, because stores will likely have zero walk-in stock.

Key takeaways

• Stores will reportedly have little to no walk-in stock on October 23.
• Online buyers are told to check back Saturday, October 24 for in-store pickup, with no guarantees.
• Production bottlenecks reportedly limited output to a few hundred units per day in late August.
• Apple.com pre-orders are backed up for months. Best Buy and the carriers have been better.
• I expect most stores to get five units or fewer at first.

What’s being reported

Supply is reportedly extremely tight. Production bottlenecks held output to a few hundred units a day in late August, and even with Apple increasing orders ahead of launch, it’s effectively sold out through the holidays. Online buyers are told to check back October 24 for in-store pickup, but stock isn’t guaranteed.

My take: maybe five or fewer per store

I’d be shocked if there’s absolutely nothing in stores on the 23rd, but it’ll be severely limited. Outside flagship stores like New York, I’d guess five units or fewer per store, if any. More should arrive from the 24th onward. It’s also strange from a sales point of view, since launch-day foot traffic is how you show a new kind of phone to people who don’t know about it.

This will only hype demand

It reminds me of the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 launches: scarcity makes people want it more. For a first-gen device this different, the effect could be even bigger. I think Apple is being careful because it wants the hardware experience to feel magical, not a repeat of the Xbox 360’s red ring of death.

You have options

If you can’t get one, there are alternatives. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks eerily similar in some ways, and there’s the Fold 8 Ultra and the Motorola foldable. In some parts of the world, Xiaomi and Huawei foldables are easier to get.

My bigger worry is software

Hardware-wise, my only concern is whether the software matches up. Expect app incompatibilities at first: black bars and cutoffs, much like early iPad apps that were just enlarged iPhone apps. Popular apps may take a while.

My plan

I’m going to pick up the Apple Watch Ultra and go all-in on the Apple experience. If I don’t like it, I’ll return it. Reportedly its battery lasts about three days, which helps on business trips. What accessories are you getting with your iPhone Duo?