Apple directs staff to discourage walk-in iPhone Duo purchases amid pre-order rollout
Apple instructed its United States retail staff on October 17 to warn customers that walk-in purchases of the iPhone Duo on launch day were unlikely to be fulfilled without a pre-order, according to MacRumors. MacRumors later reported that customers who missed the earliest pre-order window received delivery estimates for late January, well after the October launch. Earlier, Apple had opened a “Get Ready” pre-order preparation window that let customers configure iPhone Duo specifications and payment options before official pre-orders began on October 16, as reported by 9to5Mac and MacRumors.