Apple's U.S. iPhone Duo storefront tells customers to come back October 12 to get ready for pre-order. The same page lists pre-orders beginning at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on October 16 and availability starting October 23. Those dates are Monday and the following two Fridays. Preparing an order is a separate step from placing one.
MacRumors reported on October 8 that the Get Ready process is available through Apple's online store and Apple Store app. Its description includes choosing a color and capacity, confirming carrier status, selecting accessories, AppleCare+ and a trade-in, and adding payment, shipping and billing details. Apple's current storefront independently confirms the October 12 preparation date; the workflow description here is attributed to the report.
The pre-order opening time is 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time and 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 16. This brief covers Apple's U.S. storefront. It does not establish the same purchase process, carrier options or availability in every other country.
Preparing selections ahead of time does not itself reserve inventory, complete payment or guarantee delivery on launch day. MacRumors describes faster order submission as an advantage, while treating limited initial supply as an expectation. Neither the cited Apple date notice nor that report provides a guarantee of a particular shipping slot.
The intake draft added guaranteed trade-in values, mandatory preparation, financing pre-clearance and a personalized-greeting pickup benefit. Those claims are not established by the sources used for this brief and have been removed. The reported greeting is a separate retail-planning story, not a confirmed condition of this pre-order process.
Customers should review the current Apple order screen and the terms of any chosen carrier, trade-in or financing option before committing. This is a dated preparation notice, not a price-lock promise, a recommendation to buy or confirmation of other unannounced Apple products.