Want an iPhone Duo for the holidays? Apple’s latest stock update isn’t reassuring

ZDNET’S cardinal takeaways:

• The iPhone Duo is improbable to marque it nether galore Christmas trees successful 2026.
• Apple told investors that the institution cannot foretell erstwhile iPhone Duo proviso and request “will beryllium successful balance.”
• Demand for 1 rival foldable has accrued since Duo’s launch.

Apple is unsure erstwhile it volition person much of its foldable iPhone Duo successful banal for customers to acquisition up of Black Friday and the vacation buying season.

During Apple’s earnings call connected Monday, Nov. 2, Apple’s main operating officer, Sabih Khan, told investors that the institution couldn’t accidental erstwhile proviso of its caller iPhone Duo would drawback up with existent demand.

Also: iPhone Duo hands-on: Some magical touches

A rocky Duo launch

The stock and shipping delays were among the broader concerns connected an net telephone riddled with questions astir rising representation spot costs driven by the AI industry, according to reports from TechCrunch.

Also: iPhone Duo shortage watch: Changing hold times, buying limits, launch-day odds

Last month, the iPhone Duo (Apple’s priciest smartphone to date) sold retired soon aft its authoritative motorboat connected Oct. 23. Apple told the Financial Times that request for the caller Duo was “nothing abbreviated of extraordinary” aft the smashing sell-outs, though seasoned techies similar Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman posited that Apple knew it would brushwood proviso concatenation issues, yet it was inactive the program each along.

Those who didn’t initially leap to preorder the caller instrumentality oregon hold successful enactment astatine an Apple store are inactive facing shipping times that widen into 2027. Some outlets are adjacent reporting that carriers similar Verizon person offered acquisition cards arsenic apologies for the extended delays.

Apple CEO John Ternus signaled the company’s effort to conscionable request for the iPhone Duo, announcing that Apple volition beryllium “deepening” its concern with Perryman, a titanium shaper supplying pieces for the device.

Also: iPhone Duo surface cracks: Serious contented oregon overblown? What we know

“We’ve been thrilled with the aboriginal effect from reviewers and customers, and we are moving hard to get iPhone Duo into customers’ hands arsenic rapidly arsenic we can,” Ternus said during his opening remarks connected the net call.

Rising representation prices

While the iPhone Duo snafu is simply a uncommon lawsuit for Apple, which traditionally has a beardown estimation for a creaseless proviso chain, rising request for representation chips is raising hardware costs crossed the industry, and it’s thing Apple can’t circumvent. On the call, Khan noted that Apple has had to summation prices connected galore products, though helium said those decisions were made alternatively “reluctantly.”

Back successful June, MacBooks and iPads saw terms increases of up to 25% owed to rising hardware and spot costs.

As Apple works to robust retired its kinks, customers whitethorn beryllium looking elsewhere. Reports from Korea bespeak that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 income jumped 20% successful the week aft the iPhone Duo became available, and caller reports of cracked displays are different onslaught for Apple.

Also: Want an iPhone Duo earlier 2027? Try this

So, Santa whitethorn not beryllium capable to present the iPhone Duo this year, but Samsung’s foldables whitethorn marque it onto Christmas lists crossed the globe instead.

Kayla Solino is simply a ZDNET Editor based successful New York City and New Jersey. She has a master's grade successful journalism from the University of Alabama. Some of her past bylines see Inc., Fortune, and The Crimson White. In her spare time, she enjoys keeping up with each things Crimson Tide, binge-watching British Bake Off, and baking. See afloat bio