Apple retail employees have been instructed to warn customers against visiting stores to purchase the iPhone Duo without a pre-order on Friday, October 23. Staff were told that walk-in stock is unlikely to be available on launch day and that customers without reservations may be disappointed.
Apple's online store advises customers to check back on Saturday, October 24 for pickup availability. Pickup reservations were briefly available when pre-orders opened before being disabled. The October 24 message does not guarantee stock, and it remains unclear how firm the guidance is or whether it applies worldwide.
Warnings about constrained supply began before the iPhone Duo was announced. In early September, Nikkei Asia reported production had reached only a few hundred devices per day in late August. Production problems emerged in late September, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple had considered pushing sales into November. The company assembled enough inventory for the October 23 launch, though supply remained very limited.
Pre-orders opened earlier this week, with delivery estimates moving beyond launch day within minutes. Within 30 minutes, all configurations in Apple's U.S. online store showed January 25 shipping estimates. Apple described demand as "nothing short of extraordinary" and has not specified whether any stores will have launch-day walk-in stock. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing