Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, is drawing record preorder demand. The earliest delivery date for a 512GB Night Sky model is January 25, more than three months away. The phone reaches stores this Friday. Morgan Stanley said the global 14-week average preorder lead time is the longest of any iPhone it has tracked in 10 years. The analysts said this reflects both strong demand and limited supply. Melius Research estimates Apple could sell at least 15 million Duo units in fiscal 2027 at $2,000 to $3,200 each, generating about $40 billion in revenue. It kept its buy rating and $370 price target. Apple shares trade near $342, up nearly 26% this year. The company reports quarterly earnings on November 2.

Apple has acquired Samplab, a Zurich-based startup that builds AI audio editing tools, according to AppleInsider. Under the deal listing, Apple will take some of Samplab's assets and offer jobs to some of its staff. Samplab was founded in 2020 by Manuel Fritsche and Gian-Marco Hutter. It is small, with reportedly no more than 10 employees, and LinkedIn suggests only the two founders may remain. Its software could change any note in a recording, identify and edit chords, and separate tracks in fine detail. Apple added AI track separation to Logic Pro in 2024, splitting songs into vocals, guitar, drums, and other parts. Samplab's technology may be built into Logic Pro to refine that feature and allow editing of single notes within chords.

Apple store employees have warned that the new iPhone Duo will likely be out of stock for walk-in buyers on launch day, October 23, MacRumors reported. Staff have been told to discourage customers without preorders from visiting. Apple's first foldable phone starts at $1,999 and passes $3,000 for the 2TB model. Some delivery estimates run to December 5, and a mock order on Apple's site showed a January 25 date. Apple told CNBC preorder demand was "nothing short of extraordinary." Nikkei Asia reported that production slowed in September to "a few hundred a day," due mainly to Apple's strict quality control standards. Carrier partners such as T-Mobile hold their own inventory, and may offer earlier delivery.