Apple Store employees have reportedly been instructed to warn customers that they may not be able to buy the iPhone Duo in person without a pre-order on launch day, October 23. The guidance suggests stores could have little or no inventory available for walk-in purchases.

Employees told the publication that customers without reservations should not visit expecting to purchase the device, because they are likely to leave disappointed. It remains unclear how broadly Apple has issued the warning or whether it applies to stores in every market.

Apple points customers to October 24 pickup availability

Apple's online store is directing customers to check again on Saturday, October 24, for pickup availability. Pickup reservations briefly appeared when pre-orders began but were later disabled.

The message does not guarantee that iPhone Duo units will be available on October 24. It also does not confirm whether any stores will receive inventory for launch-day sales without a reservation. If the retail guidance is widely applied, customers will have limited options for avoiding the long online wait times.

iPhone Duo supply was constrained before launch

Reports of production problems emerged before Apple announced the iPhone Duo. Nikkei Asia reported in early September that production had reached only a few hundred devices per day in late August. Additional production difficulties were reported toward the end of September.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman later reported that Apple had considered delaying sales until November because of supply constraints. Apple ultimately assembled enough units to begin sales on October 23, but inventory remained extremely limited.

Pre-order estimates moved into January

The shortage became clear shortly after pre-orders opened. Delivery estimates moved past launch day within minutes, and all configurations listed in Apple's U.S. online store showed January 25 shipping estimates after about 30 minutes.

That effectively leaves customers ordering through Apple's online store without delivery before Christmas. Apple described demand as “nothing short of extraordinary” in a statement to the Financial Times and said it was working to get devices to customers as quickly as possible.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States. The first pre-order deliveries are scheduled for October 23, although availability for customers without pre-orders remains uncertain.