[NEW YORK] Apple said demand for the new iPhone Duo has been “nothing short of extraordinary” after shipping estimates slipped to the end of January of next year just minutes after pre-orders opened on Friday (Oct 16).

“The pre-order demand for iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible, and we will continue accepting orders online,” the company said in a statement.

“Our teams look forward to welcoming customers at Apple Stores worldwide to experience the iPhone Duo and the incredible full iPhone line-up for themselves,” it added, without disclosing whether inventory would be available for customers who were unable to secure pre-orders when the device goes on sale Oct 23.

Many customers who opened Apple’s online store Friday morning immediately encountered shipping delays stretching into November. Within minutes, delivery estimates slipped to December and then as far out as the end of January. The delays affect both colours and all storage configurations, ranging from 256 gigabytes to 2 terabytes.

For Apple, the iPhone Duo is one of the first major product debuts under new CEO John Ternus, who took the helm in September amid a flurry of announcements that has included the HomeView smart home hub and AirPods 5. Apple will introduce a touch-screen MacBook Pro and other devices later this month, Bloomberg reported.

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen said in a note Friday that iPhone Duo sales could exceed their earlier estimates of 14 million units and US$28 billion in sales for the company’s fiscal 2027 year.

If Apple can persuade current Pro and Pro Max owners to switch to the base version of the foldable, they added, that would push up the iPhone’s average selling price by 82 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively.

Shares of Apple closed up 0.4 per cent to US$343.46 on Friday.

Compared with the debut of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September, which went smoothly for customers who placed a timely order, securing an iPhone Duo was significantly more difficult. BLOOMBERG