Apple pushes iPhone Duo delivery windows earlier in US and Japan
Apple updated its online store on 19 October to show earlier delivery windows for certain iPhone Duo pre-orders in the United States and Japan, moving dates forward by up to several weeks. The change follows a series of steps that began on 12 October when the company opened a “Get Ready” window allowing customers to configure iPhone Duo specifications and payment details before the official pre-order start on 16 October.
After the launch, customers who missed the earliest window were shown delivery estimates in late January, and Apple Store staff were instructed to warn walk-in shoppers that purchases without a pre-order on launch day were unlikely to be fulfilled. Analyst Mark Gurman later criticized Apple for starting pre-orders despite limited inventory, and Apple subsequently limited iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro Max pickups to reservation-only sales in Japan and South Korea.
