Apple is preparing a major in-store push for the iPhone Duo’s October 23 launch, with new display fixtures and large numbers of demo units. Supply, however, is expected to stay limited even with the extra attention.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman described the retail plans in his Power On newsletter, which also covers the supply picture. The goal, he says, is to make the iPhone Duo impossible to miss when customers walk into a store and to give as many people as possible a chance to try Apple’s first foldable iPhone.
Fifth Avenue Is Reportedly Getting More Than 150 iPhone Duo Demo Units
The number of demo units will vary widely by store. The reported allocations run from more than 150 units at the busiest location to roughly 20 at a typical store:
- Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City is expected to get more than 150 units across hands-on demo stations and in-store fixtures.
- The Apple Park Visitor Center is expected to get nearly 100 units.
- Michigan Avenue in Chicago, The Grove in Los Angeles and the Upper West Side in Manhattan are expected to get roughly 30 to 40 units each.
- Other stores are expected to average roughly 20 units.
Hands-on time will be harder to get at non-flagship stores, which Gurman calls the main caveat. Apple is also planning a dedicated takeover area at the Fifth Avenue flagship.
Apple Reportedly Built New Fixtures to Show How the iPhone Duo Folds
Most stores will get a second spotlight table, the white-topped display fixture with posts in the center, set aside for the iPhone Duo. Gurman says Apple has also developed a new fixture that shows the device opening and closing.
A new MagSafe stand is designed to hold an unfolded iPhone Duo next to two standard iPhones for comparison. Shoppers will also be able to try the iPhone Duo’s StandBy mode on untethered units placed along the sides of stores, in the area known as the Avenue.
Stores are also installing Presto machines made for the iPhone Duo. Presto is Apple’s system for wirelessly updating iPhones while they are still sealed in their boxes, so the latest software is installed before a customer takes the phone home. The same machines will add the buyer’s name after the word Hello on first boot, a personalized greeting that is reportedly limited to US stores.
Supply Is Reportedly Tighter Than Apple Expected
Gurman says the iPhone Duo has run into extraordinary supply chain constraints, and the situation looks worse than Apple projected internally earlier this year. About two months ago, Apple reportedly thought the problems were severe enough that the phone could not go on sale until later in November.
Apple has since pulled together enough inventory for an October release, though stock will remain limited, and Gurman’s advice is to plan ahead. An earlier report put iPhone Duo yield at Foxconn in the 60 percent range, and Counterpoint expects Apple to sell 6 million iPhone Duo units in 2026.
Pre-orders open at 5 a.m. Pacific on October 16, and the iPhone Duo goes on sale on October 23.
