CEO John Ternus and Apple's board of directors said the iPhone Duo shortage could last into next year, when demand far exceeds expectations and speculation explodes.

Responding to Reuters after reporting quarterly financial results this week, Ternus admitted that Apple cannot yet make any predictions about the time the supply chain will stabilize.

"iPhone Duo is currently in a supply shortage. Production expansion is going well and we are working hard to bring the product to as many customers as possible. However, currently, we cannot predict when supply and demand will reach equilibrium."

Previously, Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan also made a similar statement to investors. The delivery delay comes at a time when the entire technology industry is under pressure from rising memory chip costs due to exploding demand from AI systems.

Currently, the waiting time to receive iPhone Duo at most distribution channels has been pushed to late December or January next year. To ease the long wait, Verizon in the US proactively sent an apology along with a gift card. According to Financial Times, an Apple representative once described the demand for Duo as "exceeding all expectations" when the product was out of stock on the official website after only a few hours of going on sale.

Besides the natural attraction of Apple's first folding screen smartphone, another reason why the situation has become serious is that speculators have used automated tools to collect all available devices at the store as soon as Apple opens the registration portal, then resell them to the market at a high price difference.

Analysts say that the fact that a company with the world's most optimal supply chain like Apple cannot give a specific timeline shows that the situation is more tense than expected. To increase production capacity, Apple confirmed that it is expanding cooperation with Perryman, the partner who provides titanium materials for the iPhone Duo frame.

iPhone Duo, Apple's first folding screen phone, was officially released on October 23 with a starting price of 1,999 USD. The device comes in two colors: white and blue, uses the A20 Pro chip and iOS 27.1 operating system. Apple equips the product with its own designed hinge system, titanium body and 48 megapixel main camera system. When folded, the device uses a 5.4-inch external screen, while when opened, the 7.6-inch screen is aimed at entertainment and multitasking needs.

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