Apple retail employees are being coached to manage expectations ahead of the highly anticipated release of the iPhone Duo on October 23. According to staff members who spoke with MacRumors, workers have been explicitly told to warn customers that walking into a store without a pre-order is likely a futile effort. With inventories expected to be nearly nonexistent on launch day, the company wants to prevent crowds of disappointed shoppers from flooding their physical locations.
This cautious approach comes after a tumultuous lead-up to the product’s debut. Reports from Nikkei Asia and Bloomberg indicated significant production hurdles throughout September, suggesting at one point that the launch might be pushed back into November. While Apple managed to secure enough units for an October release, the sheer volume of interest has far outpaced the supply chain’s ability to keep up.
The scale of the shortage became undeniable during the pre-order window earlier this week. Within just thirty minutes of going live, delivery dates for every configuration in the U.S. online store shifted to late January, meaning anyone who didn’t act instantly will miss out on owning the device before February. Apple later described this level of demand as nothing short of extraordinary in a statement given to the Financial Times.
For those still hoping for a chance at the two thousand dollar foldable, Apple’s website suggests checking back on October 24 for potential pickup availability. However, that message offers no guarantees, leaving many consumers stuck between lengthy digital waitlists and empty storefront shelves during one of the most aggressive product launches in recent memory.
