Apple limits iPhone Duo sales to two per customer worldwide

Apple has capped iPhone Duo pre-orders at two units per customer. The restriction, confirmed so far in the US, UK, Japan and Spain, follows the handset's pre-order launch about four days ago and arrived seconds after shipping dates slipped into January next year.

The two-per-customer limit is Apple's latest attempt to restrict bulk purchases as demand outstrips supply. Reports show some buyers and resellers listing the iPhone Duo on secondary marketplaces; there are eBay listings asking as much as $5,000 for a single unit.

Scalpers and circumvention

Apple has moved to similar measures in the past when high demand threatened supply for products including MacBooks, applying restrictions in China and in Western markets. Company statements about the iPhone Duo cap have noted confirmations in the named countries but have not mapped a definitive global policy; observers describe the limitation as likely to be applied more broadly.

Enforcement faces practical challenges. Buyers organized in groups can attempt to bypass limits using multiple virtual credit cards, different delivery addresses and separate email accounts, among other tactics.