Apple's first foldable smartphone, the "iPhone Duo," has caused a shortage since pre-orders began, raising concerns that consumers may not be able to purchase the product even if they visit stores on launch day. The scheduled domestic delivery date has already been pushed back to late January next year, and Apple has not disclosed whether there is inventory available for consumers who visit stores without making a pre-order.
According to Apple's online store in Korea on the 18th, ordering the iPhone Duo currently shows a scheduled delivery date of January 22 next year. Despite being a high-priced product with a domestic retail price starting from 3.29 million won, the waiting period for delivery has increased to about three months just two days after pre-orders began at 9 p.m. on the 16th. The official launch date is the 23rd of this month.
A similar phenomenon has appeared in the United States as well. According to IT specialist media outlet MacRumors, the scheduled delivery date was pushed back to January 25 next year within 30 minutes of pre-orders starting on the 16th (local time). Currently, it is difficult to receive the product within this year.
Apple told the UK's Financial Times (FT), "Demand for the iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been truly explosive," adding, "We are doing our best to deliver this new product to customers as quickly as possible and will continue to accept online orders."
Notably, while Apple emphasized online orders, it did not mention inventory for offline store sales. Mark Gurman, an Apple specialist reporter for Bloomberg, pointed out, "Apple has provided no information on whether the product can be purchased in stores on launch day," adding, "If this is not clearly stated in advance, dissatisfaction among consumers who wait in line only to find they cannot buy anything may grow."
The initial shortage of the iPhone Duo was somewhat predictable. A telecommunications industry official previously noted, "Initial inventory is limited, so it appears that pre-orders must be made as early as possible to receive the product on time."
However, an initial shortage does not necessarily mean sales success. Previously, foreign media raised the possibility of production disruptions due to complex manufacturing processes. The focus is now on how much offline sales inventory Apple will secure by launch day and whether it will clearly inform consumers about this.
in TECH
