Apple’s first foldable iPhone sees delivery dates slip to January 2027 as demand surges

MUMBAI: Apple’s first foldable iPhone has opened with a crease in the supply chain, not in demand. Delivery estimates for the iPhone Duo reportedly slipped to late January 2027 within minutes of pre-orders opening, prompting the company to describe the initial response as “nothing short of extraordinary”.

According to a report by Bloomberg, delivery timelines first moved into November, then December, before stretching to the end of January. Delays affected both colour options and every storage configuration, ranging from 256GB to 2TB.

Apple said it was working to fulfil orders as quickly as possible and would continue accepting pre-orders online. However, the company has not disclosed the number of orders received or confirmed whether devices will be readily available in stores when sales begin on 23 October.

“The pre-order demand for iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Apple said in a statement, adding that its teams were working to get the product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible.

The company also said Apple Store teams worldwide looked forward to welcoming customers to experience the foldable and the wider iPhone line-up.

The early response could have implications for Apple’s revenue outlook. According to Bloomberg, analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence believe the iPhone Duo could outperform their earlier projections.

In a note on Friday, analysts Anurag Rana and Josh Christensen estimated that sales could exceed their previous forecast of 14 million units and $28 billion in revenue for Apple’s fiscal 2027.

The foldable could also lift the company’s average selling price (ASP), which measures the average revenue generated per device sold. According to the analysts, if Apple persuades existing iPhone Pro and Pro Max owners to switch to the base version of the foldable, the iPhone ASP could rise by 82 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively.

That would give the device significance beyond its sales volumes. A successful shift towards the foldable could increase the revenue Apple generates from customers trading up to the new form factor.

However, delivery delays alone do not establish the scale of final sales. The company has yet to reveal pre-order volumes, and the extent to which early demand translates into completed purchases and shipments remains to be seen.

The iPhone Duo is among the first major product launches under Apple chief executive John Ternus, who took charge in September. His tenure has begun with several product announcements, including the HomeView smart home hub and AirPods 5.

Apple is also expected to introduce a touchscreen MacBook Pro and other devices later this month, according to Bloomberg.

The initial ordering experience contrasts with the September launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, when customers placing orders promptly encountered a smoother process.

For Apple, the foldable represents a test of whether a new design can persuade customers to embrace a different form factor within its established smartphone business. The first hurdle appears to be demand, and the early signs are encouraging. The harder task will be turning that appetite into sustained sales while keeping delivery delays from becoming a problem of their own.