Apple faces supply uncertainty for foldable iPhone following initial sell-out

Apple’s new foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has sold out globally, with executives unable to confirm when availability will resume. During a recent earnings call, Chief Operating Officer Sabhi Kahn stated that it is currently difficult to predict when supply will stabilize to meet high consumer demand.

The launch has been complicated by reports of screen defects, specifically cracking along the fold. While Apple has initiated a replacement program for affected units, the broader manufacturing process remains constrained by a shortage of advanced microprocessors and rising costs for memory components. The company noted that memory prices have been driven upward by the surge in data center demand for artificial intelligence applications.

Despite these hardware constraints, Apple reported a 15% increase in annual sales to $479 billion. However, management warned that supply challenges for key products, including the iPad and Mac, are likely to persist into the coming year as the company manages both component scarcity and significantly higher production costs.