Last week we told you not to line up for an iPhone Duo on Friday without a preorder, because Apple’s own store staff were reportedly saying there would be nothing to sell. Apple has now spoken for itself, and the answer is a bit better than that. There will be Duos for walk-in buyers on launch day. There just won’t be many.
In a statement to MacRumors on Wednesday, October 21, an Apple spokesperson said Apple Stores “will have limited iPhone Duo available for walk-in customers” when the foldable launches on Friday, October 23. Apple added that because preorder demand has been “extraordinary,” it expects that stock to sell out quickly. Reuters reported the same “limited” message, as The Verge noted.
That’s the first time Apple has said publicly that any of its stores will sell a Duo off the shelf on day one. It also quietly corrects the staff warnings MacRumors reported on October 17, which told shoppers to expect no walk-in stock at all.
Where you can walk in, and where you can’t
Apple split the launch into three groups, per MacRumors:
- Limited walk-in stock: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Türkiye. Some stores in Italy will have walk-in units too, though Apple didn’t say which.
- Walk-in only, and only on launch day: Macao, with limited inventory.
- No walk-in sales on launch day: France, mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. In those places you’ll need a pickup reservation for a set time slot through Apple’s online store.
The no-walk-in list is longer than it was on Monday, when Apple’s local sites in Japan, South Korea and the UAE first posted reservation-only notices. Apple often limits walk-ins at big launches to control crowds and slow down scalpers, and France and China joining the list fits that pattern.
Why “limited” is doing a lot of work
Apple hasn’t said how many units any store will get, and it’s not hard to guess why. Within 30 minutes of preorders opening on October 16, every U.S. configuration on Apple’s online store slipped to a January 25 ship date. The online store still tells people to check back on Saturday, October 24 for in-store pickup reservations, so it’s unclear whether you’ll be able to reserve a pickup on Friday at all.
Put another way: stores will be full of Duos on Friday, but most of them will be the demo units bolted to the tables. The boxes in the back are the scarce part.
One more launch-week detail: Reachability is coming
Separately, Apple plans to add Reachability to the iPhone Duo in a software update later this year, according to WIRED’s Julian Chokkattu, as MacRumors reported. That’s the gesture where you swipe down at the bottom of the screen to pull the top half of the interface within reach of your thumb. The report didn’t say whether it will work on the outer screen, the inner screen or both. Still, it’s a sign Apple knows one-handed use on a phone this size needs work, and that the Duo you buy Friday will keep changing after you get it home.
What this means
- If you’re in the U.S., Canada or the U.K., showing up early could pay off. It’s now a real option, not a wasted trip. Just expect stock to be gone fast, and probably to be thinnest at smaller stores.
- If you’re in France, China, Japan, Korea or the other reservation-only markets, don’t line up. Watch Apple’s online store for pickup time slots instead.
- Be flexible on configuration. Two colors across several storage tiers means stock is split into small pools. Taking what’s there beats waiting for the exact model you wanted.
- Keep checking Saturday. October 24 pickup availability will be the first real read on how much inventory Apple’s stores are getting after launch day.
- Skip the resellers. Apple is still taking online orders, and a January date at retail price beats a scalper markup.
Reporting reference: MacRumors ↗