Ordered an iPhone Duo? Check Your Delivery Date, Know the Two-Per-Customer Limit and Don't Count on Friday

If you've ordered an iPhone Duo, or you're still hoping to get hold of one, a few things have changed since pre-orders opened last Friday. Apple's online store in the UK now stops you buying more than two, some customers abroad are seeing their delivery dates move earlier, and there are signs that Apple Stores won't have much stock for people walking in on launch day. None of this means you need to panic, but it's worth knowing what to check and what not to expect, so here's a run through of where things stand.

What we know so far

iPhone Duo pre-orders began on Friday 16 October, and launch day delivery slots went within minutes. MacRumors reports that estimated delivery dates for new orders slipped into January within the first half hour, and Apple itself described demand as "nothing short of extraordinary" in a statement later that day.

The bigger change this week is a limit on how many you can buy. 9to5Mac says it tried adding more than two iPhone Duos to the basket on Apple's UK, US, Japanese and Spanish online stores, and each time got a message saying a maximum of two can be bought per customer. Engadget reported the same thing. The limit applies whichever colour or storage size you pick, and the store doesn't warn you about it until you try to add a third, so if you were planning to buy for several family members in one go, that's why it won't let you.

Apple hasn't said publicly why it's done this, but 9to5Mac thinks it's almost certainly about scalping, which is when people buy up lots of a hard-to-get product to sell on at a much higher price. It says dozens of iPhone Duos have already appeared on eBay, some listed for more than $5,000. Apple has used purchase limits before on popular iPhones, going right back to the iPhone 5 in 2012.

What's been reported but isn't confirmed

These next points come from news sites and from customers posting online, not from Apple, so treat them as a good sign rather than a promise.

• Delivery dates moving earlier. MacRumors and 9to5Mac have both collected reports from customers in the US and Japan whose estimates have jumped forward, in some cases by weeks, and one customer in Japan now expects theirs on launch day itself. Both sites are long-running, well-sourced Apple news outlets, but these are individual customer reports, and neither site has mentioned UK orders moving yet. 9to5Mac also points out that Apple hasn't commented, and it's possible some of the new dates are errors that get changed back. The changes so far seem to apply only to orders placed directly with Apple.
• Little or no walk-in stock on Friday. AppleInsider has reported that you shouldn't expect to buy an iPhone Duo in an Apple Store on launch day, and 9to5Mac suggests a walk-in purchase could be worth trying if you live near a store, just not on day one. Apple hasn't said how much stock its stores will have.

What it means for you

If you've already ordered, keep your order. If you cancel and re-order, hoping for a better date, you'll lose your place in the queue and probably end up waiting longer. Instead, check your order now and again in the Apple Store app or on Apple's order status page, because if dates do start moving forward in the UK, that's where you'll see it.

If you haven't ordered yet, remember the two-per-customer limit, and if you're happy buying somewhere other than Apple, keep an eye on other retailers too. The mobile networks and shops like John Lewis have their own stock, which won't necessarily match Apple's delivery dates.

What I think

Should you queue at an Apple Store on Friday if you haven't got an order in? I wouldn't, unless you just want to see and hold the phone on day one and enjoy the buzz of a launch day, which can be fun in its own right. Stores are likely to have a very limited number of phones for people walking in, so I wouldn't make the trip expecting to come home with one.

If you're tempted to pay a reseller over the odds because of the shortage, I'd hold off. I'd wait and see the phone in person first, because in a way this is a first generation product. Apple has never made a foldable phone before, and it's had to adapt iOS, the software that runs the iPhone, quite heavily to suit it, so it's worth getting a feel for it before spending extra. And with delivery times moving forward in some parts of the world, I think it's likely reseller prices will start to drop.

If you've got a question about your order, or you'd like a hand setting up a new iPhone when it arrives, iHelp AI is there for quick answers, or you can book a session with us, either remotely from anywhere in the UK or in person across Dorset.

Alex