iPhone Duo sells out at Apple stores as scalpers charge double

Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, sold out its limited in-store stock on launch day, with new orders now facing delivery estimates stretching into late January. The secondary market responded immediately: an eBay scrape found dozens of listings averaging around $4,188 across 38 postings, against Apple's official price of $1,999 for the base 256GB model.

The scalper premium is the most honest demand data the launch produced — published in real time, without a PR department. It also reveals how much of the initial allocation went to buyers planning resale rather than use. At one New Jersey Apple Store, the 256GB and 512GB versions sold out within half an hour, leaving only the higher-priced models, including a 2TB version costing more than $3,000. One Los Angeles store had nothing left for shoppers arriving after 6:30 a.m.

Apple has reportedly raised its first-year shipment target by 44 percent, from roughly 10 million to roughly 14 million units, on the strength of preorders. KeyBanc analyst Brandon Nispel noted his firm was already estimating 12 million units, and suggested the extra supply may simply come from parts allocated to other iPhones — one model's triumph is another's bill of materials.

The launch has a second act. Buyers in Japan, China, Australia and elsewhere have reported displays failing along the hinge crease — a black line appearing across the screen after a few days of use, in some cases while the phone was still on display in stores. One Reddit user reported his screen cracked along the hinge within six hours. Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee's review found the foldable's cool factor high but concluded it is not for everyone.

Apple executives have asked to be held accountable. The resale listings, and the crack lines, are doing that in real time.