AI Bots Are Making It Harder to Buy the iPhone Duo

The “iPhone Duo” smartphone could become significantly harder to find through official sales channels by the end of the year. Buyers and people who resell the device at a higher price are using AI-powered bots. These programs continuously check inventory on the “Apple” website and complete an order within seconds as soon as they find a device available for in-store pickup.

The “iPhone Duo” went into production amid a shortage of memory components. This shortage contributed to the smartphone’s starting price of $1,999 (approximately 3,400 manats). Instead of waiting until November and sending most of the inventory to the US and China, “Apple” delivered small quantities of the devices to stores worldwide in October. As a result, the number of phones made available was significantly lower than demand.

During the weekend when sales began, 80% of the “iPhone Duo” inventory went directly to store shelves. The remaining 20% was allocated to delivery and in-store pickup orders. AI bots mainly try to purchase devices allocated for online orders. Moreover, each store had only 50–250 devices.

Regular buyers line up outside “Apple Store” locations early in the morning. The crowds are reminiscent of the lines seen during “Black Friday” sales. Because bots claim online inventory within seconds, some buyers prefer to visit stores in person. However, even then, there is no guarantee they will be able to buy a device.

Some people on the resale market are paying twice the retail price for the “iPhone Duo.” One user selling the device this way on “eBay” asked on “Reddit” whether the high amount appeared suspicious. Before sales began, another user wanted to use the “Meta Muse” tool to track inventory but changed their mind after reading reviews. It appears that other buyers have been able to purchase the device using AI bots.