Apple Store pickup for the iPhone Duo is beginning to return on Apple’s online store in countries including Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, but availability is extremely limited with few to no pickup time slots currently shown.
Apple Store pickup availability
A spot check found a single iPhone Duo unit available for Apple Store pickup in Australia on Saturday at the time of checking, but that unit disappeared by the time this story was published. In several other markets, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Singapore, Apple’s online store still advises customers to “check back on Saturday, October 24” for Apple Store pickup, so the reservation system is expected to resume in additional countries as the calendar moves across time zones.
Just hours after iPhone Duo pre-orders began last Friday, Apple described demand for the device as “nothing short of extraordinary,” and delivery estimates have been pushed into late January. Apple said it is working to satisfy demand “as quickly as possible,” which helps explain why Apple Store pickup slots are hard to come by.
Apple Store pickup briefly appeared for a few minutes after pre-orders opened last Friday before the option vanished. Given the scarcity of available pickup slots, long queues formed at many Apple Stores around the world today, and some customers were able to secure an iPhone Duo through walk-in purchases.
What buyers should do
If you did not manage to get a device in store, the Apple Store pickup tool may be the best immediate option: monitor the iPhone Duo order page over the next day or so and refresh frequently to check for newly released pickup slots.
