Apple is preparing a major retail push for its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, ahead of a planned Oct. 23 launch. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is setting up dedicated display areas and new fixtures in select stores, including an expanded showcase at the Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. Apple is also preparing software-update and setup capabilities tailored to the new device.
Retail allocations are expected to vary by location, with the most devices reserved for the Fifth Avenue store and fewer demo units provided to smaller, non-flagship outlets. For example, Fifth Avenue is expected to receive more than 150 units, while Apple Park is expected to have nearly 100. Other prominent stores are likely to get about 30 to 40 demo devices, and non-flagship locations average around 20 units.
Across reporting, sources indicate the retail rollout is designed to let customers interact with the phone’s folded and unfolded states, including StandBy demonstrations on untethered units and a comparison setup using MagSafe stands. Gurman also reports that while Apple’s inventory has improved enough to proceed with this month’s release, overall supply is expected to remain limited compared with earlier expectations.
