Commercialized since October 23, 2026, the first foldable Apple iPhone Duo smartphone is out of stock worldwide, with delivery times now pushed back to 2027. According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, this in-store shortage is worsened by resellers (scalpers) who deploy bots boosted by artificial intelligence to instantly snap up restocks on Apple's website.
Launched on October 23, the new foldable Apple iPhone Duo smartphone is almost impossible to find… And if you thought you could take advantage of periodic restocks in stores, don't dream too much, because some clever people are already on the lookout. In fact, if you don't already have an iPhone Duo in your hands, unfortunately that may not happen before next year. However, Apple restocks stores from time to time, theoretically leaving an opening for those who are lucky enough to connect at the right moment on the reservation website.
AI bots storming Apple Store
But if you were hoping to take advantage of these periodic restocks in stores, curb your enthusiasm: even luck will be useless against the clever people already on the lookout who are taking advantage of AI to acquire the device before you do. This is what Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports, explaining that "these resellers and other buyers are using AI-powered bots to monitor Apple's website and seize, within seconds, newly available stock for in-store pickup".
The scourge of scalpers and a hasty launch
More than "resellers," Gurman uses the term "scalpers," meaning those individuals who buy as many units as possible at once, to resell them at a higher price. In short, this hasty launch may really have been a huge mistake on Apple's part.
