Apple’s first foldable iPhone is running into two problems at once: there aren’t enough of them, and a small number of the ones that have shipped are coming back with screen trouble. CEO John Ternus addressed both in an interview after Apple’s latest quarterly earnings. Neither answer gives much comfort to anyone still waiting for an iPhone Duo.
On supply, Ternus was direct. The Duo is constrained, production is ramping, and Apple can’t yet say when supply will meet demand. That last point matters most. Apple usually prefers to project control over its supply chain, so admitting it has no timeline is an unusually open concession.
The numbers back him up. Preorders opened on October 16, and the first allocation sold out almost immediately. Shipping estimates on Apple’s online store have been stuck at late January ever since. A three-month wait that isn’t getting shorter means the bottleneck is real, not a launch-week spike.
The display situation is murkier. Ternus confirmed that a very small percentage of iPhone Duo units have been returned over display problems, including reports of cracking. He said Apple is replacing affected devices with new ones. He did not say what is causing the failures, how many units are involved, or whether Apple has changed anything on the production line to stop it.
That gap is worth watching. Foldable displays have been the weak point of the category since it began. Samsung delayed its original Galaxy Fold in 2019 after review units suffered screen failures, and it spent years refining hinges and protective layers afterward. Apple arrived late to foldables, and many expected that patience to produce a more durable first device. “A very small percentage” may well be accurate. But replacing phones only works if the replacements don’t develop the same fault, and Apple hasn’t said whether they might.
Apple’s earnings offer no help in judging how well the Duo is selling. The quarter covered July through September, and the phone didn’t go on sale until October. The first real sales picture won’t arrive until Apple’s holiday-quarter results. Even then, Apple stopped reporting unit sales years ago, so outsiders will still be estimating.
For now, the practical situation for buyers is simple. Expect to wait until at least late January, and keep an eye on reports from early owners. The open question is whether Apple can raise production while also fixing the display issue. Doing both before the backlog clears would mean the January delay was the worst of it. If it can’t, the Duo’s first months on the market could do lasting damage to its reputation.
