Technology

Apple Faces Supply Uncertainty for Foldable iPhone Duo After Quick Sell‑Out

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus, said on Monday that the company is working to make its foldable iPhone Duo available to more customers after the $1,999 model sold out within a week of its launch. Ternus expressed enthusiasm about the early reaction to the Duo, but noted that the phone’s high price and immediate sell‑out have led to demand that is still unmet.

Apple’s chief operating officer, Sabhi Kahn, told financial analysts that the company does not yet know when additional Duos will be available. She said, “At this time, it’s really hard to predict when supply and demand will be in balance.” The executives did not discuss any specific issues with the Duo during the earnings call.

Last week, Apple announced it would replace any phones affected by a defect that caused a small number of units to crack along the inside fold. Despite this, the company reported that it sold more iPhones worldwide over the past year than at any previous time.

In the three months ending 26 September, Apple’s iPhone sales rose 17% to $57 billion, a figure that does not include the Duo, which went on sale toward the end of October. Mac computer sales grew 27% to $10.7 billion, another record for the company. Overall sales for the year increased 15% to $479 billion. However, sales of iPads and wearable products, including headphones and the Apple Watch, fell 10% and 7%, respectively.

Kahn explained that most Apple devices continue to face supply constraints, partly due to difficulty obtaining enough microprocessors built on advanced nodes. These components, largely produced by TSMC in Taiwan, are expected to remain constrained into next year, especially for iPads and Macs. The company also cited unexpected demand for its products and unprecedented cost increases for memory storage, driven by a boom in demand for data‑centre space from AI platforms such as those developed by OpenAI and Anthropic. These higher storage costs have contributed to Apple’s decision to raise prices on most of its hardware products by around 20%.