Strong demand exceeds expectations.. Delivery of the first foldable iPhone was delayed until January

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Apple said that demand for the iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable iPhone, was "exceptional" after delivery dates were extended to the end of next January, minutes after pre-orders opened on Friday.

The company confirmed in a statement that pre-orders for the new device exceeded expectations, noting that it is working to accelerate the pace of production to deliver the phone to customers as quickly as possible, while continuing to receive orders online.

Apple added that its teams are preparing to receive customers in its stores around the world to try the new phone and the rest of the iPhone range, without revealing whether additional quantities will be available to buyers who were unable to secure their pre-orders before the device was launched on the market on October 23, according to what was reported by “Bloomberg”, and reviewed by “Arabic Business”.

From the first hours of opening orders, Apple's online store witnessed successive delays in shipping dates, as delivery periods moved from November to December and then to the end of January. The delays included all available colors and storage capacities, ranging from 256 GB to 2 TB.

The iPhone Duo phone represented one of the most prominent new launches during the era of CEO John Ternos, who took over the leadership of the company last September, in conjunction with a series of new products that included the HomeView smart home center and AirPods 5 headphones. The company also intends to launch additional devices this month, including a touch-screen version of the MacBook Pro, according to previous reports.

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen expected phone sales to exceed their previous estimates of 14 million units and revenues of $28 billion during the company's 2027 fiscal year. They pointed out that the transition of Pro and Pro Max phone users to the foldable version may raise the average selling price of iPhone phones by up to 82% and 67%, respectively.

Apple shares ended Friday's session up 0.43% at $343.46.

The process of obtaining the iPhone Duo was much more difficult compared to the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September, when customers who took the initiative to reserve were able to obtain smooth delivery times without major delays.