iPhone Duo sold out until January? Don't pay a scalper

Apple’s first foldable starts at $1,999, and Gizmodo reported that its ship dates slipped from launch day, October 23, to mid-November in under five minutes. By 5 a.m. Pacific, MacRumors saw every configuration showing January 25. If you missed that first wave, you’re looking at three months, a store pickup or a reseller.

The resellers were ready before you were. Gizmodo found one X user selling an “auto checkout” bot to paying members, and bragging about “hundreds of dollars in potential profit per unit” without getting out of bed. That profit is the markup somebody pays because they didn’t want to wait, and I wouldn’t fund the bot that beat you to the button.

January is an estimate, and MacRumors says as much: nobody knows how many phones Apple had on day one, and the dates reflect supply and demand together. Gizmodo cites a Securities Times report that Apple raised production 30%, to an estimated 10 million units for 2026. iDrop News says Apple Stores typically get shipments at least twice a week.

So if you’ve got a pre-order in, keep it, and watch in-store pickup in the Apple Store app instead of refreshing the ship date. Apple told people to check back for store availability on Saturday, October 24, the day after launch. MacRumors expects extremely tight inventory for walk-in customers, so I’d check that app every morning for the first couple of weeks. And if somebody is selling a Duo for well over $1,999, they’re selling you a spot in the same line Apple runs for free.

I already made a whole YouTube video about why I’m not buying one. If you are, January costs you time and nothing else.

Play the video on YouTube