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Apple unsure when more foldable iPhones will be available after selling out
Apple says it is working to make its new foldable iPhone Duo available to more customers after the £1,999 phone sold out soon after launch. The shortage matters because the company cannot yet predict when supply will meet demand, while some buyers have reported cracks along the screen’s inner fold.
Apple said it would replace phones affected by the issue, which it described as impacting a “small number” of devices. In the three months to 26 September, before the Duo went on sale, iPhone sales rose 17% to $57bn and Mac sales increased 27% to $10.7bn; Apple’s overall annual sales grew 15% to $479bn. The company said shortages of advanced microprocessors are expected to continue into next year, and rising memory costs have added pressure on hardware prices.
In short
- The £1,999 iPhone Duo quickly sold out.
- Apple cannot yet say when supplies will recover.
- Chip shortages and higher memory costs are affecting products.
Explained simply
Apple is one of the world’s largest technology companies, best known for the iPhone, Mac computers and other devices. A foldable phone has a screen that bends at a central hinge, allowing it to open into a larger display; Apple’s Duo is its first model of this kind.
The phone’s high price and reports of cracks at the fold raise questions about how many people will buy it and how well it holds up in use. Apple’s ability to make more devices also depends on supplies of specialist computer chips and memory, which are used in phones and other electronics. These supply and cost pressures can affect both availability and prices across the company’s products.