Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders

Despite knowing that the iPhone Duo would face "severe supply constraints" due to manufacturing challenges, Apple chose to begin iPhone Duo pre-orders on Friday instead of waiting until it had more inventory ready, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he called this decision a "major mistake." "Let me cut to the chase: Apple made a major mistake here," he said. "The company knew there would be severe supply constraints but went ahead with the launch anyway, apparently prioritizing a desire to get the device on the market early in its fiscal first quarter over satisfying demand. That will disappoint many of the early adopters most eager to buy it." Apple originally planned to launch the iPhone Duo in the U.S. and China only before expanding the device to other countries later, according to Gurman, but the company ultimately decided to start pre-orders in more than 70 countries simultaneously. Less than 30 minutes after pre-orders began, Apple's estimated shipping dates for the iPhone Duo slipped to around January 25 in most countries. Apple typically underpromises and overdelivers with its delivery dates, though, so hopefully some customers will end up having their shipping estimates bumped up at least slightly. Popular StoriesApple Retail Staff Told to Warn Against iPhone Duo Walk-In PurchasesSome Apple retail employees have been told to warn customers against visiting to purchase an iPhone Duo without a pre-order on Friday, October 23. Apple Store employees told MacRumors that they have been advised that there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day. Staff have been instructed to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming in...Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style DesignApple's long-rumored smart home hub will have an iMac G4-style design and a host of unique features, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The smart home hub is said to feature a square 6-inch display, with variants that can be placed on a countertop or mounted on a wall. It features a single FaceTime camera on the front, with microphones and speakers in its connected base. Gurman described the...Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13Apple plans to introduce a series of new smart home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple reportedly plans to debut its long-awaited smart home hub device, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV on the date. The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are set to retain their existing designs, but tout faster chips to support Siri AI. The new HomePod mini will...