Key takeaways
- Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple made “a major mistake” with iPhone Duo pre-orders: it knew about severe supply constraints and launched anyway, in more than 70 countries at once, instead of starting with the U.S. and China as originally planned.
- Less than 30 minutes after pre-orders opened on October 16, delivery estimates slipped to around January 25 in most countries.
- My view: in my opinion, this was not a mistake. It was chasing money, for the quarter and for investors. And CEO John Ternus, who called rival foldables “cheap and crappy,” now looks the way he described them.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman did not hold back: “Let me cut to the chase: Apple made a major mistake here.” According to Gurman, Apple knew the iPhone Duo would face severe supply constraints and went ahead with pre-orders anyway, because it wanted the device out early in its fiscal first quarter.
Apple originally planned to start with the U.S. and China and add other countries later. Instead, it opened pre-orders in more than 70 countries at once on October 16. Less than 30 minutes later, delivery estimates slipped to around January 25. As a small extra, an EU energy label shows the iPhone Duo’s total battery capacity at 4,883 mAh.
Apple, what the hell are you doing?
Here I will be really sharp. Apple, what the hell are you doing? Enough of chasing only money. You don’t have production. You are not prepared. Seven years, and nothing. You just throw it out like “we are number one, the best,” and to hell with the people.
People who pre-order, when exactly do they get the new phone? Why open pre-orders in 70 countries? In my opinion, only for advertising and for investors. I am more and more sure the Duo is a mess, and there is a bigger problem behind it than Apple admits.
Ternus now looks “cheap and crappy”
I think John Ternus is a huge, arrogant egoist. That is what really gets on my nerves. Nothing like this has ever happened with a new phone at Apple: don’t come to the Apple Store, we have a problem with the hinge. I wrote how Apple Stores tell people not to come without a pre-order.
And why, a few days ago, did you call rival foldables “cheap and crappy”? Now you look crappy yourself. A man who talks and does nothing, and waits only for the stock to grow. You can’t do anything else. You release boring, shameful gadgets on October 13, and then you fail with the Duo.
You know what? Maybe the Duo will finally force you to become a real Apple CEO, not just a showman.
“Huge demand”? Then where was the plan?
I am sure the demand story is just noise. Yes, there is demand. But they didn’t have the logistics and production ready. What were they waiting for? This is an embarrassment Apple is showing for the first time, and it does not see what problems it made for the company.
Now come the complaints. First-generation testers, get ready for a lot of bugs. A phone that is really fine can’t take this long to make. That alone shows something is wrong. In my opinion, Apple just has to drag it out so it doesn’t fall face-first into the mud before the quarter closes. Order today, get it on January 25. What is this, a Lamborghini? Being pretty is not enough. And a hinge made of 100 parts, which Apple was so proud of? In my opinion, they can keep it. I feel sorry for Apple that a man like this stands at the top.
Who pays for it in the end?
If this lasts, Apple will learn for the first time what the anger of people who love Apple means. And then Apple itself will learn it, when the stock goes down.
They made a big mistake with the foldable. They knew they could not do it at scale. I am sure they knew it. So why release it at all? Why?
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Featured image: Apple.
This article is opinion.
iPhone Duo pre-orders: FAQ
What did Mark Gurman say about iPhone Duo pre-orders?
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman wrote that Apple made “a major mistake” by opening iPhone Duo pre-orders despite knowing about severe supply constraints.
Why did Apple open iPhone Duo pre-orders early, according to Gurman?
Gurman says Apple prioritized getting the device out early in its fiscal first quarter over meeting demand.
In how many countries did iPhone Duo pre-orders open?
More than 70 countries at once. Apple originally planned to start with the U.S. and China.
When will new iPhone Duo orders ship?
Less than 30 minutes after pre-orders opened on October 16, delivery estimates slipped to around January 25 in most countries.
What is the iPhone Duo battery capacity?
An EU energy label lists the iPhone Duo’s total battery capacity at 4,883 mAh.
Sources: Bloomberg (Mark Gurman, Power On), MacRumors and its readers.
Our Take
In my opinion, this was not a mistake. It was greed. Apple put the quarter and the investors before the people who love it most.
They knew they could not do it at scale. So why release it at all?
