Apple launches $2,000 iPhone Duo worldwide with strong demand but quieter store openings

Sydney, Australia. Apple began selling its first foldable handset, the iPhone Duo, worldwide on Friday at around $2,000, drawing strong demand but less launch-day excitement than earlier iPhones. Its Sydney store was the first to sell the passport-shaped device, with customers queuing before the 8 a.m. local opening.

Purchase limits and delivery delays

Demand was strong in Singapore, Shanghai, London and Berlin, but rationed sales meant fewer queues stretching around blocks and fewer customers camping overnight than at past launches.

Within minutes after advance ordering began a week ago, Apple’s estimated delivery dates had moved to late January because demand exceeded supply. The US company described the response as “nothing short of extraordinary”.

Customers could pre-order no more than two handsets each, while purchases by people arriving without reservations were restricted. In China, France, Hong Kong, India and Japan, the phones were available only to customers who had placed online orders.

A test for Apple’s new leadership

Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies have offered high-end foldable handsets for years. The Duo will test whether Apple can reshape the small market for folding phones as it previously did with smartphones.

The launch also presents an early test for John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO and former hardware chief. He introduced the device barely a week after assuming the top job in September.

Buyers pay a premium

Simon Krishnan, a 48-year-old engineer in Sydney, spent A$3,899 ($2,734) on a 512GB Duo. He said the price made it something of a luxury purchase for him, but that he felt life was too short to forgo it.

China’s smartphone shipments have fallen for six consecutive quarters amid weak consumer demand and increasing memory costs. Apple’s share of the market has nevertheless recovered as some customers move to higher-priced devices.

Liu Wei, a healthcare professional aged 26, joined a queue outside a Shanghai store at 6 a.m. to buy Apple’s first foldable, despite already owning a folding handset from Xiaomi 1810.HK.