Apple CEO says he's 'not able to predict' when iPhone Duo shortages will end — it probably won't be this year

If you want to get your hands on an iPhone Duo, you've got a long wait ahead of you. Current iPhone Duo wait times stretch to the end of the year and into January, depending on where you order from. The question on everyone's mind is when the supply issue is going to be fixed, and the current answer is... that we have no idea.In fact, Apple CEO John Ternus doesn't really have an answer for that question, either. Speaking to Reuters, following Apple's latest earnings report, Apple's new head honcho admitted the company can't make any sort of predictions. "Duo is constrained as of today. The ramp is going well, and we're working hard to get it to as many customers as quickly as possible," Ternus said. "But at this point, we're not able to predict when supply and demand will be in balance."Obviously, when the CEO of the company can't comment on supply issues, you know the situation is pretty bad. Though whether it's because Ternus really doesn't know when supply and demand will equalize, or because he simply doesn't want to make any promises that may not be kept, isn't clear. Apple did seem surprised that the iPhone Duo has been in such high demand, and it's possible that the company is simply being overly cautious. Because there's little point in getting hopes up until Apple can be sure Duo shortages have a firm end date.It certainly doesn't help that scalpers seem to be trying to snatch up the iPhone Duo to sell on at a premium. As is the case with a lot of in-demand items, scalpers have been employing bots to grab as much stock as they can, including any Duo units that become available for in-store pickup. In other words, trying to pick up an iPhone Duo before the end of the year is effectively a losing battle. You're far better off trying to be patient and ordering through one of the major carriers and retailers. Wait times are already stretching into January at most retailers, and it doesn't sound like things are going to get better. So the sooner you get your order in, the sooner you'll actually get hold of it. You can see the current delivery estimates for the biggest carriers and retailers in our guide to iPhone Duo wait times.More from Tom's GuideWe've tested the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro Max — here's the phone you should actually buyiPhone Duo 2 is inevitable — and these are the 7 things we want to seeiPhone Duo has been hard to get because Apple did almost everything wrong — here's what we know