Apple has shown considerable confidence in the subsequent sales performance of its first foldable device, the iPhone Duo.
On September 10 local time, Apple's new CEO John Ternus appeared on a public podcast and reiterated that the fully integrated hardware and software experience of this new foldable device is well worth the price.
Even Apple executives involved in product development have publicly commented that foldable products launched by other Android manufacturers feel like cheap plastic to the touch, with material quality that is not on the same level as the iPhone Duo.
According to the latest public statistics, the standard version of the iPhone Duo, with a starting price of 15,999 yuan in China, has accumulated over 1.18 million pre-orders across all domestic platforms. Given the extremely limited initial allocation, many early limited pre-sale orders have already been resold on secondary markets at premiums of tens of thousands of yuan.
Currently, a large number of digital scalpers and offline mobile phone channel dealers in China are highly optimistic about the speculation potential of this new foldable device and have made ample preparations for stocking up ahead of the launch.
This year, scalpers' willingness to acquire iPhone Duo units, the intensity of their markup offers, and the scale of advance funds prepared for stocking have all significantly exceeded the levels seen during the launch seasons of regular new iPhones in previous years. The price differences across various global regions and Apple's initially conservative production capacity rollout are the two core drivers behind this large-scale speculation trend.
A store owner in Shenzhen who has been deeply involved in the digital product distribution circle for many years publicly stated after Apple's launch event that he had already prepared over one million yuan in dedicated funds to purchase first-release units from ordinary consumers. He estimated that the stable market premium during the initial sales phase would remain between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan. Some organized scalper teams have even reserved stock funds reaching the 2 million yuan level.
Such a scenario, where new devices are hyped to sky-high prices before official shipment, is rare in the consumer electronics market in recent years. It is essentially a special market trend driven by Apple's large base of high-end users within its ecosystem and the scarcity value of its first foldable device. However, whether such a high premium can be sustained in the long term after the official release ultimately depends on whether the actual user experience and reputation of the first batch of users can justify the product pricing, which is significantly higher than that of regular flagships.
