Apple’s first foldable smartphone is facing a supply crunch within minutes of preorders opening, with delivery estimates for the iPhone Duo slipping into January 2027.

Preorders opened at 8am in New York on 16 October, ahead of the device’s scheduled retail launch on 23 October. By then, Apple’s online store was showing delivery dates that crossed into late January across both colour options and all storage tiers, from 256GB to 2TB.

Customers across social media platforms including Reddit and X reported delays despite following Apple’s advice to reserve their preferred colour and storage configuration in advance. According to Bloomberg, retail stores also exhausted their initial preorder stocks almost immediately.

It remains unclear whether the delays reflect unanticipatedly strong demand, limited supply or a combination of both. Apple typically reserves some units for walk-in customers on launch day, potentially offering buyers a way to secure the device sooner.

Unveiled last month as part of its first major product launch under new CEO John Ternus, the iPhone Duo marks Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone segment, which has so far remained a relatively niche category despite offerings from established rivals. The device starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model, making it the vendor’s most expensive iPhone to date.

Last month, Counterpoint Research estimated Apple could sell around 6 million iPhone Duo units in 2026, potentially providing fresh momentum for the foldable market. At the time, Counterpoint Research senior analyst Ivan Lam noted the number was “contingent on how well the company ramps up production of the new hardware”.

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The global smartphone market declined at a record level in Q3 2026 according to the latest figures from IDC, with shipments dropping 22% due to the ongoing AI-led memory crisis.

The research company found shipments fell at the highest year-on-year level of any quarter to date, shrinking to 255.3 million units.

Nabila Popal, senior research director at the research company, said the sharp downturn the industry had been bracing for “finally materialised”, and warned the worst is yet to come.

“Current indicators suggest that market has not yet reached the bottom. Memory costs have surged approximately 350% since last year and are still rising, creating substantial pressure on vendor margins and shipments.”

She added while memory inflation is beginning to slowdown, “costs remain elevated across other critical components as well, compounding the crunch”.

To that end, market growth is expected to be constrained through 2027 and any possible recovery pushed to 2028 at the least.

Individual vendor rankings remained similar to the last quarter. Samsung and Apple continued to gain market share with 22.6% and 22.4% respectively, even though both companies’ quarterly shipments dropped.  

Rounding out the top five companies, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo all experienced double-digit market share drops.

Kiranjeet Kaur, associate research director for Worldwide Devices at IDC, added despite sluggish sales some vendors raised production plans ahead of an expected tightening in component supply next year.

“If demand remains weak, this could lead to inventory build-up heading into 2027, adding a further downside risk to our 2027 forecast,” she said.

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Apple expanded its smart home portfolio of devices as it looks to better compete against rivals including Google and Amazon, which included the debut of its $299 HomeView hub.

HomeView Hub, which is available from 13 November, recognises users by their faces to allow them to give hands-free commands to access personal content across Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders, and Find My.

It is available in two distinct configurations: a tabletop design powered by a standard USB-C cable or a wall-mounted version which connects via various options, including Ethernet or Power over Ethernet (PoE) wired mounts, with the latter available in early 2027.

HomeView Hub, which includes a 7-inch LiquidRetina display, does not have buttons, instead it relies on the new Siri AI to enable users to access apps or content. With a built-in, front facing FaceTime camera, it can recognise up to six different users by voice or appearance. It then gives personalised responses to each one for tasks such as accessing calendars, videoconferencing, viewing cooking recipes or listening to music through its speakers.

CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood, who attended today’s (13 October) event in New York City, told Mobile World Live HomeView “has quite a distinctive design compared to rival smart home devices”.

“It will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used an Apple Watch, and Apple has the advantage that it can use Apple ID to easily and securely identify individuals in a household to provide information specifically about them,” he said. “It is little surprise that the HomeView coincides with Apple’s renewed push on Siri AI and Apple Intelligence.

“The company has undoubtedly been waiting for the upgraded Siri experience, given how important the voice interactions are with this product,” he added.

To increase its presence in the smart home sector, the iPhone maker partnered with LG Electronics Inc. and Schneider Electric SE to release a lineup of Apple Home Collection accessories, including indoor and outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, thermostats, and door locks.

Wood noted these partnerships signalled a willingness by Apple to go outside of its own ecosystem to develop new products and services.

“However, looking closely, it appears like there has been very deep collaboration between Apple and these partners to ensure the design, engineering and experience closely match what users would expect,” he explained.

While Apple’s tie-ups with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric mark a shift from its traditional strategy, Wood argued they give consumers a single source for a smart home set-up.

“By making cameras, a lock, thermostats and a doorbell as easy to connect as AirPods, the companies address one of the sector’s biggest hurdles: “the complexity of getting things working,” he said.

Availability for the Home Collection products starts in December, with select accessories available beginning early 2027. The prices range from $199 to $399.

“Since Apple is calling the suite of new products the Apple Home Collection, I’d expect it to dedicate space in its extensive network of Apple Stores to showcase a turnkey smart home solution,” Wood stated. “Given that many technology enthusiasts have already adopted smart home products from other manufacturers, I suspect Apple’s new lineup will appeal to customers who have considered investing in a smart home device but have been apprehensive about the category’s complexity.”

Under the leadership of CEO John Ternus, who took over in September from Tim Cook, Wood argued Apple is taking a cautious approach to the smart home market where rivals such as Amazon’s Ring, Google’s Nest and Arlo and others “already have a strong profile”.

“But Apple may benefit from making the experience seamless, building on its trusted reputation and focus on privacy while giving existing customers yet another reason to stay inside its extremely strong ecosystem,” he said.

More devices
Alongside HomeView, Apple unveiled an updated Apple TV 4K set-top box with built-in microphones and a remote control which is easier to locate. It also features Siri AI which enables users talk to Siri hands-free.

Customers in the US and 29 other countries and regions can pre-order Apple TV 4K starting today from Apple’s online and in the Apple Store app, with availability in stores beginning 13 November. It cost $299 or $9.83 per month for six months.

It also introduced the HomePod mini 2 speaker, which comes in a fresh range of colours, including pink, green, blue, white, and midnight, and features lighting animations which reflect the album artwork of the song being played.

The speaker can provide room-filling sound on its own, as part of a stereo pair or in a multiroom audio set-up. When connected to the new Apple TV 4K, four HomePod Mini 2 speakers can create a surround-sound home cinema system which Apple claims is its most immersive home theatre setup to date. Multiple users can also control smart home accessories and automations securely through voice commands.

HomePod Mini 2 can be pre-ordered starting today with availability beginning on 30 October. It is priced at $149.

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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving to bar every Chinese lab from testing electronics for the US market, a sector China dominates. And Chinese media and commentators say that Beijing, having already retaliated with three countermeasures, is ready to strike back again. The FCC said on October 7 that it will vote on […]

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