El iPhone Duo se agota en minutos y las entregas en España llegan a finales de enero

El iPhone Duo, el primer equipo plegable de Apple, se vende oficialmente este viernes 23 de octubre, pero las reservas se acabaron en minutos. The cheapest version costs 2,339 euros in Spain. The speed at which the reserves of Apple's first foldable phone sold out has highlighted potential challenges Apple faces in supplying demand for the Duo.

Minutes after the reservation deadline opened on October 16, Apple shifted delivery dates to the end of January for many of the 70 countries where the phone is sold, including Spain. As of now, reserving an iPhone Duo on Apple's Spanish website means not receiving it until January 25, in any of its configurations. This delay affects the most expensive iPhone ever sold by Apple, priced from 2,339 euros for the 256 GB model to 3,839 euros for the 2 TB version.

It's the first time Apple has experienced such pronounced delivery delays for a launch. On secondary platforms like eBay, confirmed reservations for the 256 GB version in Spain are offered for over 4,400 euros, almost double the official price, and up to 5,200 dollars in some US ads. The bottleneck, according to analysts, appears to be mainly in supply.

Experts have been warning for months about the complexity of manufacturing Apple's first foldable device, with its flexible panel and high-precision hinge limiting production rates. Apple reportedly raised its orders to the supply chain, but admits inventory would remain limited. Analyst Jeff Pu reduced his 2026 manufacturing forecast from seven to six million units in September, but the success of reservations is boosting 2027 sales predictions.

Bloomberg says sales could reach 14 million units next year and 28 billion dollars in revenue if Apple convinces users of the Pro and Pro Max models to switch to the base foldable version. This would raise the average iPhone sale price by 82% and 67%, respectively. Bloomberg also says Apple's sales strategy for the new model may have deviated from the original plan, causing greater scarcity.

According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple initially planned to launch the iPhone Duo only in the US and China, then expand to other countries. However, the company opened reservations simultaneously in over 70 countries. The supply issue is compounded by demand with the novelty factor - it's the first iPhone foldable, and many have waited years to buy one.

Apple has not disclosed production or reservation numbers, so the real extent of the mismatch between supply and demand remains unknown. The company usually has units available in physical stores on the day of the official launch, this Friday, October 23, so physical Apple Store queues could return. The coming weeks will be crucial.

If Apple can accelerate production, delivery times could shrink. If not, the iPhone Duo will remain a product with long waiting lists for much of the winter. In the meantime, competitors like Samsung may gain ground with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the direct rival of the iPhone Duo, whose sales have already skyrocketed.