The iPhone Duo will continue to be in short supply, and the company cannot provide a timeline as to when exactly production may catch up to demand, Apple CEO John Ternus told Reuters following Monday’s earnings report.
Duo is constrained as of today. The ramp is going well, and we’re working hard to get it to as many customers as quickly as possible, but at this point, we’re not able to predict when supply and demand will be in balance.
When asked about the display issues some iPhone Duo customers have seen, Ternus said that “a very small percentage” of units have been returned and Apple is offering replacements.
iPhone Duo orders placed today continue to have delivery estimates in January, and stores have had few in stock to fulfill online reservations.
Apple initially aimed to “wait until November” to release the iPhone Duo in the U.S. and China only, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said on Sunday, but it ultimately decided to launch the device in more than 70 countries on Friday, October 23. “Apple rushed the Duo to market without enough inventory to meet demand,” he said.
Last week, Apple responded to reports of the cracking issues affecting the inner display of some Duo units, and said it was replacing affected units. The company directed affected iPhone Duo units to contact AppleCare for assistance.
Apple reported a September quarter revenue record of $114.5 billion, up 12% from last year. Those numbers do not include Duo sales, as the device did not go on sale until after the fiscal fourth quarter had ended.
