Apple’s highly anticipated foldable iPhone—iPhone Duo—rocked its pre-order launch, with demand so strong that online ordering slots vanished within minutes and shipping estimates for new orders pushed into 2027. At the same time, rumors claim the next version of the HomeView home hub will include a robotic arm and rotation features that finally make its display follow you around the room.
Pre-Orders Sell Out Fast, Delivery Delays Ramp Up
The iPhone Duo officially opened for pre-orders on Friday, October 16. The earliest delivery for those who ordered immediately was October 23, but this was short lived. Within minutes, Apple’s online store showed backorders for all colors and storage configurations, with shipping delays stretching into late January 2027. Some international regions are seeing delays that extend even further beyond that time frame. The backward slide in delivery windows was swift: first to November, then December, and ultimately January for many buyers. (Standard delivery windows in places like Brazil are already slipping into early February.)
Apple has publicly described demand for iPhone Duo as “extraordinary” and confirmed that orders will continue to be accepted online despite full stores. Observers note that both high consumer interest and constrained supply are to blame. Reports from suppliers suggest production yields are low and early manufacturing runs are greatly limited. These constraints have increased pressure on the system as the launch draws near. Meanwhile, resale sites are overflowing with early pre-orders, listed by secondary sellers at markups climbing into thousands of dollars.
HomeView Rumors: A Hub That Turns With You
Meanwhile, HomeView—Apple’s new smart hub for the home—may already be getting an upgrade. Reliable sources point to a successor model codenamed J595 that will feature a motorized robotic arm capable of rotating the screen a full 360 degrees. Automatically turning the display toward the person speaking—using voice recognition—is a core part of the rumored design. The updated HomeView could also come with a larger display, growing from 7 to 9 inches.
Naming for the upgraded model is still up in the air, with possible suffixes like “Max” or “Ultra” under consideration. Development timelines suggest the release could happen as soon as 2027 or possibly 2028, depending on how swiftly Apple finalizes both hardware and smart home software components like voice detection. The robot-arm concept isn’t brand new: Apple has published related research in recent years, and rumors have circulated for some time about a swiveling base or body that follows users around, enhancing the smart hub experience.
For consumers, these two developments illustrate where Apple is placing its bets: premium foldables and smarter home devices. But there’s a tension here—unmatched demand on one side, and supply challenges on the other. If Apple can work through its production bottlenecks and ensure stores have enough stock, the iPhone Duo could become its most successful “flip” yet. As for HomeView, adding a robotic arm could set a new standard for home hubs, assuming the price, durability, and voice-tracking tech keep up. What to watch: updates to shipping timelines in the coming weeks, any word from Apple on supply chain fixes, and whether HomeView’s rumored features make it to final release rather than staying in the rumor mill.
